IARPA Plans Proposers’ Day for Bio-Intelligence Chips Program
The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA) will host a Proposers’ Day conference on Nov. 15 in the Washington, D.C.-area, for the Bio-Intelligence Ships (BIC) program. The agency is interested in the human physiological changes resulting from chemical, radiological and biological exposures reflected in omni-omic signatures, which are immunological, transcriptional, genomic, proteomic, metabolomic, epigenetic and microbomic characteristics. The goal of the BIC program is to develop portable lab-on-a-chip platforms that provide simultaneous read-out and analysis of omni-omic signatures to determine the exposure status of an individual to a suite of pathogens and toxins of interest. The program will also develop integrated labs-on-a-chip that can determine exposures to industrial chemicals, toxins, and radiological materials. The program will develop hardware and bioassays and methods to gather bio-intelligence in the field. The chip platforms should be able to provide end-to-end sample processing from sample into analyzed output in less than 10 times in a handheld device. Sol. No. IARPA-BAA-13-04. Dennis Polla, deputy director, Safe and Secure Operations, [email protected].
DHS Plans Basic Research in K-9 Explosives Detection
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate has issued a Broad Agency Announcement for basic research into improvements in canine explosives detection. Specifically, the directorate seeks novel approaches to conducting research to better understand the olfactory abilities and limitations of the canine, and to better understand the variables affecting canines’ performance. Sol. No. BAA-13-01. Respond by Nov. 21. Contact: Richard Simons, [email protected], 202-254-8655.
TSA Acquisition Policy Focus Group Meeting Planned
The Washington Homeland Security Roundtable will host a series of focus groups in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as part of a new outreach initiative. The first in the series, the Contracting/Acquisition Policy Focus Group will be held in the afternoon on Nov. 6 at TSA headquarters. The main objective of this focus group is to obtain participants’ input and review of the policies, regulations and current practices that drive the content and costs of the contracting process at TSA. The intent is to identify policies, regulations, and practices that provide little or no added value in terms of cost, schedule or risk, as well as those policies, regulations, and practices that could be improved to help reduce costs and acquisition cycle time. Respond by Nov. 6. Contact: Richard Braendel, [email protected].
DISA Seeks Sources for Public Key Infrastructure Management and Support
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has issued a Sources Sought notice to conduct market research to determine small business sources with competencies to promote information assurance by supporting DoD Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) program management and engineering support. PKI satisfies the DoD’s information assurance requirement for confidentiality and authentication of network transactions, identification and verification of data integrity, and non-repudiation of communications or transactions. DoD PKI supports over 3.5 million users with credential management. Currently Booz Allen Hamilton has two task orders to meet the requirements of this Sources Sought notice under the Encore II contract. Sol. No. PL83110027. Respond by Nov. 16. Contact: Ellen Crain, contract specialist, [email protected], 618-229-9679.
DTRA Issues RFI for Post-Detonation Nuke Forensics Technologies
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking sources of potential technologies, processes, and capabilities to rapidly determine nuclear or radiochemical composition and quantitative isotopic on post-nuclear debris sample. The analysis can be attended or unattended in either a field or fixed laboratory location. The goal of the program is to obtain high quality answers in the shortest time possible. Sol. No. HDTRA1-12-RFI-NF. Respond by Dec. 12. Contact: [email protected].