The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), through the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), has released a Request for Prototype Proposals (RPP-25-06) under the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) under OTA W15QKN-16-9-1002. This new initiative, Operationalizing Novel Technologies for Advanced Rapid Generation of Effective Medical Countermeasures (ONTARGET), is looking for prototypes that significantly enhance medical countermeasure performance, shorten development timelines, and speed responses to biological threats for warfighter protection.
Solicitation Overview and Program Goals
The ONTARGET program seeks to establish a rapid, scalable platform for discovering and validating disruptive technologies that can enhance medical readiness against current and emerging biological threats. Issued by the Army Contracting Command – New Jersey (ACC-NJ), ONTARGET is led by the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The core mission: develop agile solutions capable of countering both known and future threats, including novel pathogens, toxin exposures, and resistant variants, through next-generation MCMs.
This solicitation prioritizes innovation that dramatically accelerates development timelines and improves the success rate of prophylactic and therapeutic countermeasures. ONTARGET envisions a multiyear, iterative testing and evaluation cycle aimed at achieving early proof-of-concept and establishing a pathway toward regulatory readiness and DoD adoption.
Specific Research and Development Objectives
The Government is particularly focused on platform-based solutions that demonstrate flexibility, scalability, and cross-threat potential. The performance objectives include:
- Broad-spectrum/variant-proof MCMs: Identification of antigens or epitopes capable of conferring immunity across pathogen classes or evolving variants.
- Precision delivery technologies: Targeted delivery mechanisms to specific cells or tissues that minimize off-target effects, enhance potency, and optimize administration routes.
- Toxin countermeasures: Novel formulations such as mini-binders or nanobodies for neutralizing natural, synthetic, or aerosolized toxins.
- Host-directed therapies: Interventions targeting host pathways to enhance innate immunity or block pathogen replication.
- AI/ML Integration (desired): Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to optimize MCM design and performance.
- Advanced manufacturing (desired): Innovations in scalable, rapid manufacturing and supply chain resilience.
Selected prototypes will be used to demonstrate these technologies on a government-accessible testing platform.
Key Dates and Submission Deadlines
To participate in ONTARGET, interested parties should be aware of the following deadlines:
- Solicitation Release: June 24, 2025
- Enhanced White Paper Deadline: July 9, 2025, 12:00 PM ET
Enhanced White Papers (EWPs) must follow the mandatory template in Appendix I and be submitted via the MCDC submission portal. Only MCDC members in good standing are eligible to submit proposals.
Funding and Award Structure
The ONTARGET solicitation anticipates a moderate funding confidence level (CL-2), with awards expected in Q2 FY2026. While the exact number of awards is unspecified, the scope and deliverables imply a selective process aimed at high-impact technologies. The Period of Performance (PoP) is expected to span up to five years, with project execution likely centered at the offeror’s facilities. Deliverables will include monthly and annual technical reports, financial forecasts, regulatory documentation, and a final technical package. Follow-on production is possible under 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), contingent on successful prototype demonstration.
Transforming the Future of Warfighter Health
The ONTARGET effort represents a strategic investment in proactive biodefense capabilities. By enabling rapid discovery and deployment of innovative MCMs, whether through AI-augmented design, in vivo expression systems, or novel toxin-neutralization platforms, this initiative supports a safer, more resilient warfighter. As biological threats grow more complex, platforms funded under ONTARGET will help ensure the DoD can respond with speed, precision, and scientific rigor.
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