To defend against threats to America’s agricultural infrastructure, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a new Special Topic Area (STA) through its Biological Technologies Office (BTO). Known as Ag x BTO, this initiative seeks to catalyze innovative approaches to defending the U.S. agricultural system from chemical, biological, and human-made threats. The program’s overarching aim is to support national security by advancing early-warning capabilities, rapid-response countermeasures, crop engineering, and predictive analytics to safeguard the integrity of the food supply chain.
Solicitation Overview: Innovation in Agricultural Defense
The Ag x BTO STA is a limited-duration solicitation designed to identify disruptive agricultural technologies through DARPA’s ERIS Marketplace platform. Using the ERIS Marketplace format to highlight non-traditional performers and first-time proposers, DARPA hopes to stimulate a pipeline of novel capabilities to protect critical agricultural systems. This initiative encourages participants to address one of five technical areas aligned with DARPA’s long-term vision for agriculture-based national security:
- Early Warning Systems: Enhanced threat detection platforms with high geospatial/temporal resolution and autonomous, real-time data readouts.
- Rapid-Response Countermeasures: Agricultural interventions (shielding, containment) capable of rapidly protecting crops against emergent and evolving threats.
- Significantly Accelerated Crop Engineering: Scalable genetic engineering approaches for long-term prophylaxis, threat resilience, and crop sustainment.
- Threat Modeling and Prediction: Integrated simulations of threat behavior and countermeasure impact to inform system-wide agricultural defense.
- Attribution Technologies: Tools to assess human intervention and identify sources of contamination or sabotage.
Submission Requirements
Each submission will be composed of a 7-minute pitch video, ERIS-compliant supportive slides, and a submission form. Importantly, each submission must target only one technical area; multiple proposals are permitted if addressing more than one area. DARPA may select top submitters to attend an invitation-only workshop and Pitch Day in the Washington, DC area, offering potential pathways for rapid acquisition and further program development.
Key Proposal Dates
DARPA’s Ag x BTO STA solicitation includes the following critical deadlines and milestones:
- Closing Date for Submissions: August 31, 2025. All proposals must be submitted through the ERIS Marketplace by this date. No late submissions will be considered.
- Invitation-only Workshop and Pitch Day: Fall 2025
Advancing National Security Through Agricultural Innovation
DARPA’s Ag x BTO solicitation highlights the agency’s proactive approach to building resiliency in America’s agricultural ecosystem, an often-overlooked pillar of national security. By funding solutions that can detect, contain, and counteract threats to food systems, DARPA aims to stay ahead of adversaries who may seek to exploit biological vulnerabilities or disrupt supply chains.
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