Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contract Management Directorate (CMD), 3701 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203-1714

A -- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPEDITIONS SOL BAA 99-07 DUE 012099 POC Dr. Jay A. Sears, DARPA/ITO, FAX: (703) 522-7161 WEB: http://www.ito.darpa.mil, http://www.ito.darpa.mil. E-MAIL: baa99-07, baa99-07. The goal of the Expeditions into the 21st Century is to encourage vigorous and revolutionary research in information technology. The selected efforts will set out to invent the future of information technology by exploring alternative visions and their impact on society. It is expected that the ideas pursued by information technology expedition teams will lead to unexpected results and nourish the information infrastructure and industries of the future. This BAA solicits proposals for radically new visions as to the future of information technology that step outside of the present and anticipated models both of the technology itself (hardware, software, HCI, etc.) and of the domains and modes in which it is applied. There are a number of precedents for the "expedition" approach. One of the most famous examples is the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where researchers created an experimental network of computers for use by individuals. This effort pioneered many of the revolutionary technologies that led to today's personal computers, including graphical user interfaces, pointing devices, laser printing, distributed file systems, and WYSIWYG word processing. It is notable that this expedition was rooted in an alternative vision as to how Information Technology could be organized and used by individuals (i.e. distributed computing) -- as opposed to simply increasing the raw capability of then dominant mainframe computers. The focus of an Expedition may be on either a discipline-based theme such as bio-informatics, or on an infrastructure-based theme such as ubiquitous computing. To establish a context, each Expedition should be based on assumptions not true today, for example the world wide availability of near infinite bandwidth. Each Expedition need not be limited to a single such assumption, however, proposers should discuss an approach to the exploration of their vision within the context of the assumptions. Think big and bold. Proposers must clearly and forcefully address the following key issues: 1. Clear elucidation of an innovative and exciting vision for the future. 2. Identification of significant Information Technology research challenges. 3. Description of how the proposed vision will revolutionize the way people live and work. 4. A coherent plan for initiating the proposed Expedition. Program Summary Information: It is expected that selected Expeditions will receive initial funding that will be used to scout the terrain. Successful proposals will be from investigators who share an exciting vision and make a compelling case for their approach. The excellence of the proposal and the prospect for its successful execution are paramount considerations and DARPA has a neutral posture as to whether proposals involve investigators from a single organization or from multiple organizations. The investment strategy for these efforts involves a staged approach with only modest initial funds. These awards may be structured so that the initial effort can be enhanced by exercising optional tasks. In thisway additional funds can be applied to individual efforts based on the effectiveness of each team in pursuing its vision and on establishing a viable research program that is consistent with DARPA's overall program goals. It is anticipated that any one expedition may transcend a number of DARPA's traditional programs; therefore, additional funding for expeditions will be subject to "buy-in" by the relevant program managers. PROGRAM SCOPE: Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches and techniques that lead to or enable revolutionary advances in the state-of-the-art. Proposals are not limited to the specific strategies listed above and alternative visions will be considered. However, proposals should be for research that substantially contributes towards the goals stated. Research should result in prototype hardware and/or software demonstrating integrated concepts and approaches. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvement to the existing state of practice or focuses on a specific system or solution. Integrated solution sets embodying significant technological advances are strongly encouraged over narrowly defined research endeavors. Proposals may involve other research groups or industrial cooperation and cost sharing. GENERAL INFORMATION: A pre-proposal conference call will be held Monday, November 16, 1998. Contact one of the administrative addresses below for details regarding time, registration, and access. In order to minimize unnecessary effort in proposal preparation and review, proposers are strongly encouraged to submit brief proposal abstracts in advance of full proposals. An original and ten (10) copies of the proposal abstract must be submitted to DARPA/ITO, ATTN: BAA 99-07, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714, in time to reach DARPA by 4:00 PM (ET), Monday, December 7, 1998, to guarantee review. Upon review, DARPA will make a recommendation to offerors either encouraging or discouraging submission of full proposals. Proposers must submit an original and ten (10) copies of full proposals in time to reach DARPA by 4:00 PM (ET), Wednesday, January 20, 1999, in order to be considered. Proposers must obtain a pamphlet, BAA 99-07 Proposer Information, which provides further information on the areas of interest, submission, evaluation, funding processes, proposal abstracts, and full proposal formats. This pamphlet may be obtained by fax, electronic mail, or mail request to the administrative contact address given below, as well as at URL address http://www.ito.darpa.mil/Solicitations.html. Proposals not meeting the format described in the pamphlet may not be reviewed. This Commerce Business Daily notice, in conjunction with the pamphlet BAA 99-07 Proposer Information, constitutes the total BAA. No additional information is available, nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. Requests for 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 that shall be considered by DARPA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals. However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities. Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a scientific review of each proposal using the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of relative importance: (1) overall scientific and technical merit, (2) potential contribution and relevance to DARPA mission, (3) offeror's capabilities and related experience, (4) plans and capability to accomplish technology transition, and (5) cost realism. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal abstract or proposal to this BAA, must be directed to one of the administrative addresses below by 4:00 PM (ET), Wednesday, January 13, 1999; e-mail or fax is preferred. DARPA intends to use electronic mail and fax for some of the correspondence regarding BAA 99-07. Proposals and proposal abstracts may not be submitted by fax; any so sent will be disregarded. The administrative addresses for this BAA are: Fax: 703-522-7161 Addressed to: DARPA/ITO, BAA 99-07, Electronic Mail: baa99-07@darpa.mil, Electronic File Retrieval: http://www.ito.darpa.mil/Solicitations.html, Mail: DARPA/ITO, ATTN: BAA 99-07, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714. Posted 10/27/98 (W-SN265770). (0300)

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