SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- University Photonics Research Centers
- Notice Date
- 9/4/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 22203-1714
- ZIP Code
- 22203-1714
- Solicitation Number
- RA03-37
- Response Due
- 10/24/2003
- Archive Date
- 9/4/2004
- Point of Contact
- Ravindra Athale, DARPA Program Manager, Phone 000-000-0000, Fax 703-696-2206,
- E-Mail Address
-
none
- Description
- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals to exploit emerging photonic technologies for use in intelligent microsystems for sensing, communication, processing, and storage of information through the establishment of University-based Photonics Research (UPR) centers. The intent is threefold: first, to lay the foundation of next generation photonics technology through university research centers; second, to advance applications of photonics technologies beyond traditional domains by forging interdisciplinary links within the centers; and third, to make the centers national resources for expertise and highly trained individuals. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION: Research in materials and structures for photonic and optoelectronic devices has experienced dramatic new developments over the past five years. Specific examples involve techniques for tight 3D confinement of photons and electrons via deep sub-wavelength spatial structures as well as novel optical resonant structures. These structures suggest radically different device designs for generation, modulation, detection, and transport of electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range. Similarly, advances in ultra-short light pulse generation make it practical to realize high peak powers for moderate average power levels using compact sources. These scientific advances are now ready for applications to intelligent microsystems that will enable novel autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons platforms that are central to future defense strategies. The objective of this Research Announcement (RA) is to solicit proposals for the development of revolutionary capabilities leading to specific photonic intelligent microsystems, implemented through university-based, interdisciplinary research centers. Unfunded participation of industry researchers is strongly encouraged to help guide and focus the centers? activities toward specific and measurable research goals as well as for transitioning the intermediate results of long term research into products. The individual research projects proposed, as well as the overall vision of the centers? research programs should be driven by the goal of creating new paradigms for realizing the required functionalities with higher performance, lower energy requirements, greater environmental stability and adaptive behavior that will help meet the above-cited challenges of intelligent microsystems. DARPA seeks innovative proposals for the establishment and operation of centers with a well defined vision that addresses specific aspects of the broad technical challenges described above. A center must be identified with an overarching vision that is captured in specific systems integration demonstrator(s). Such demonstrator(s) consist of individual projects that are implemented by the researchers at the same or different academic institutions and are cohesively integrated to support the vision of the center. The ultimate objective of this program will be to integrate outputs from the individual projects into the demonstrator(s). Additional information on the technical thrust as well as on center organization is provided in the RA 03-37 Proposer Information Pamphlet referenced below. PROGRAM SCOPE: Multiple awards for four year efforts are anticipated to be made during the first half of calendar year 2004. Collaborative effort/teaming between different institutions are encouraged. A web site?http://www.davincinetbook.com/teams/Login.asp--has been established to facilitate formation of teaming arrangements between interested parties. Specific content, communications, networking, and team formation are the sole responsibility of the participants. Neither DARPA nor the Department of Defense (DoD) endorses the destination web site or the information and organizations contained therein, nor does DARPA or the DoD exercise any responsibility at the destination. This web site is provided consistent with the stated purpose of this RA. Cost sharing is not required and is not an evaluation criterion but is encouraged where there is a reasonable probability of a potential commercial application related to the proposed research and development effort. The technical POC for this effort is Dr. Ravindra A. Athale, fax: (703) 696-2206, electronic mail: rathale@darpa.mil. GENERAL INFORMATION: Proposers must obtain a pamphlet entitled University-based Photonics Research Centers Program, RA 03-37, University-based Photonics Research Program, Proposer Information Pamphlet which provides further information on University-based Photonics Research, the submission, evaluation, and funding processes, proposal formats, and other general information. This pamphlet may be obtained from the FedBizOpps website: http://www.fedbizopps.gov/, World Wide Web (WWW) at URL http://www.darpa.mil/ or by fax, electronic mail, or mail request to the administrative contact address given below. Proposals not meeting the format described in the pamphlet may not be reviewed. Proposers must submit an original, nine (9) hard copies and an electronic copy of the proposal (PDF (preferred)), or MS-Word readable on a CD-ROM, or a single 3.5 inch High Density MS-DOS formatted 1.44 Megabyte (MB) diskette), and no more than eight power point slides summarizing the critical aspects of the proposal to DARPA/MTO, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714 (ATTN: RA03-37), on or before 4:00 p.m., local time, Friday October 24, 2003, in order to be considered during the initial round of selections; however, proposals received after this deadline may be received and evaluated up to one year from date of posting on FedBizOpps. Proposals submitted after the due date specified in the RA or due date otherwise specified by DARPA may be selected contingent upon the availability of funds. This notice, in conjunction with the RA 03-37 Proposer Information Pamphlet, constitutes the total RA. No additional information is available, nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. Requests for the same will be disregarded. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal which shall be considered by DARPA. Input on technical aspects of the proposals may be solicited by DARPA from non-Government consultants /experts who are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. Non-Government technical consultants/experts will not have access to proposals that are labeled by their offerors as ?Government Only?. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals; however, no portion of this RA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable topics in University-based Photonics Research. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal to this RA, should be directed to one of the administrative addresses below; e-mail or fax is preferred. DARPA intends to use electronic mail and fax for correspondence regarding RA 03-37. Proposals may not be submitted by fax or e-mail; any so sent will be disregarded. DARPA encourages use of the WWW for retrieving the Proposer Information Pamphlet and any other related information that may subsequently be provided. EVALUATION CRITERIA Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a technical review of each proposal using the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of relative importance: (1) overall scientific and technical merit of individual projects and the proposed systems integration demonstrator(s) with special focus on the originality and their potential impact on the field; (2) potential contribution and relevance of the main vision to the DARPA and DoD mission; (3) specific plans for coordinating the various projects with each other and with the goals of the systems integration demonstrator(s) for the center and for on-going management of the projects, (4) offeror's capabilities and related experience, and (5) cost realism. Note: cost realism will only be significant in proposals which have significantly under or over-estimated the cost to complete their effort. The administrative addresses for this RA are: Fax: (703) 351-8686 (Addressed to: DARPA/MTO, RA 03-37), Electronic Mail: RA03-37@darpa.mil, Mail: DARPA/MTO, ATTN: RA 03-37, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714. This announcement and the Proposer Information Pamphlet may be retrieved via the WWW at URL http://www.darpa.mil/ in the solicitations area.
- Record
- SN00425719-W 20030906/030904213631 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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