The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through its Biological Technologies Office (BTO), has released a new Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), HR001126S0003, on October 1, 2025. This solicitation seeks transformative research leveraging biological processes and technologies to enhance warfighter protection and performance. DARPA BTO continues to push the boundaries of biotechnology, not through incremental improvements, but by investing in revolutionary solutions that can redefine the future of defense, medicine, and resilience.
Solicitation Overview
DARPA BTO’s mission is to harness biology as a technology for national security. This BAA invites proposals that use biology to protect warfighters, enhance decision-making, and strengthen resilience against threats. The office is particularly interested in groundbreaking applications of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), biotechnology, and bio-inspired engineering that can fundamentally improve military readiness and response capabilities.
The scope of the solicitation spans several research and development areas:
- AI and ML for Biology: Accelerating biological simulations, developing biological foundation models, and building AI-enabled decision-making tools.
- Combat Casualty Care: New diagnostics, therapeutics, and decision-support systems for austere and high-threat environments.
- Human Performance: Advances in cognition, fatigue mitigation, neural processing, and resilience under extreme stress.
- Materials and Sensors: Bio-inspired sensors, hybrid systems, and predictive models for new material development.
- Agriculture & Environment: Solutions to protect food, water, and ecosystems while leveraging non-human biology for operational advantages.
- Security, Safety & Surveillance: Biosafety, pathogen detection, and next-generation biodefense solutions.
- Biomedical Innovation: Rapid manufacturing of therapeutics, novel cellular therapies, and countermeasures against antimicrobial resistance.
Key Dates
DARPA BTO has structured this BAA with a rolling submission timeline. Key deadlines include:
- Abstracts due: Rolling submissions accepted until September 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET.
- Full proposals due: Rolling submissions accepted until September 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET.
An abstract must be submitted, and DARPA must provide a notification to submit a full proposal before any full proposal will be reviewed.
Funding Details
DARPA anticipates multiple awards under this BAA. Awards may take the form of Procurement Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, or Other Transaction Agreements (OTs). The agency has also introduced an accelerated award pathway for proposals under $2 million, with awards made within 30 days of selection. Periods of performance will vary depending on project scope, with flexibility for both short- and long-term efforts.
Driving Human Health and Security
At its core, this solicitation aims to bolster warfighter resilience while advancing technologies that improve human health. Whether through innovations in medical countermeasures, enhanced monitoring of physiological readiness, or breakthrough therapeutics, the BTO is funding work that will have direct impact on survival, recovery, and long-term health outcomes for service members and civilians alike.
For organizations considering participation, this BAA represents a unique opportunity to align cutting-edge biotechnology research with DARPA’s national security mission. If your company has considered applying for federal funding, your federal funding journey starts here. EverGlade Consulting is a national firm that helps organizations win and manage federal awards. We offer services ranging from Pursuit, Proposal and Post-Award support to comply with federal regulations at agencies including BARDA, ARPA-H, NIH, DTRA, JPEO, DOD, DIU, DOE, and DARPA.
