The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has issued a new Request for Information (RFI) titled “Advanced Disease Outbreaks Simulation Capabilities” (DARPA-SN-25-72). This announcement seeks insights from the research and development community on cutting-edge outbreak modeling tools to increase understanding of outbreak dynamics and improve future public health emergency preparedness. This RFI represents DARPA’s commitment to advancing high-resolution, scalable, and adaptive simulation technologies that can anticipate disease progression, optimize intervention strategies, and protect both civilian and military populations.
Overview: Solicitation Goals and Technical Scope
DARPA invites responses from academia, startups, and industry to help assess state-of-the-art disease simulation technologies. The agency is especially interested in identifying tools and capabilities that extend beyond traditional modeling (such as agent-based models, hybrid network-mechanistic systems, and AI-enabled simulations) to better represent transmission dynamics, public health interventions, and end-stage outcomes.
Core modeling capability focus areas include:
- Implementation, strengths, and limitations of various modeling approaches, including their ability to represent key characteristics of diseases of interest
- Spatial modeling, including the ability to model geographical factors such as population density, mobility patterns, and environmental conditions and their effect on disease spread
- How models incorporate varying transmission rates, fatality rates, and levels of population immunity
- Integration of intervention strategies like quarantining, vaccination, and therapeutics
- Exploring future modeling innovations such as the use of machine learning, artificial intelligence, complex systems theory, and behavioral science
In addition to core modeling capabilities, DARPA also seeks information on technical architectures around disease outbreak simulation modeling, such as the software platforms (open-source or proprietary) and programming languages/libraries used to build simulation tools. Computational requirements, data integration, and scalability techniques are also of interest. Finally, DARPA seeks to understand cutting-edge validation and verification processes. A full list of questions can be found in the posted RFI.
Respondents are encouraged to share relevant organizational experience, team expertise, and ongoing R&D efforts. Respondents can also share their willingness to collaborate, any collaboration opportunities available, and cost estimates for development, licensing, and use of their proposed simulations.
Additional Information
Responses to this RFI are due on June 23rd, 2025, at 4:00pm ET. This RFI is a planning instrument and does not represent a funding opportunity. No awards will be made directly from this notice; however, responses may help shape future DARPA solicitations. Participating organizations may benefit from early exposure to upcoming funded opportunities and will be considered as contributors to a critical national security capability.
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