SAM #DARPA-SN-26-108

DARPA Convergence Program: R&D for Advanced Environmental Microbial Biosensors

This special notice from DARPA announces the Convergence program, seeking R&D support for advanced environmental microbial biosensors. - Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) - Program: Convergence - Solicitation Number: DARPA-SN-26-108 - Objective: Develop non-pathogenic microbial consortia (e.g., engineered E. coli) for remote, distributed detection of environmental hazards (chemical analytes, pharmaceutical agents) - Scope: Four-tiered R&D effort from component design to deployable, regulatory-ready sensor platforms - Requirements: - Expertise in synthetic biology, environmental science, and engineering - Use of highly characterized, safe host species - Focus on safe, reliable, standardized outputs - Compliance with US and international regulatory standards - No specific OEMs, vendors, products, part numbers, or quantities are listed - Commercial opportunity for organizations with relevant R&D capabilities in biosensors and synthetic biology - No attachments or detailed line items provided

Description

The Convergence program aims to integrate biology and engineering to develop advanced environmental microbial biosensors designed to safeguard defense personnel. By utilizing carefully designed, non-pathogenic microbial consortia (employing highly characterized and safe host species like E. coli as a biological platform), the program aims to enable the remote, distributed detection of environmental hazards, including chemical analytes, and pharmaceutical agents, in operational and austere environments.The Convergence program will bring together synthetic biologists, environmental scientists, and engineering experts to transition biological sensors safely from controlled laboratory settings to the field. This research will modularize how these biological systems receive chemical inputs and generate safe, reliable, and standardized signal outputs. The program's development is structured across four parallel tiers—advancing systematically from individual component design (Tier 3) and integrated payload development (Tier 2) to full system integration in a microbial chassis platform (Tier 1). If successful, the program will develop a fully deployable sensor system and platform ready for US & International regulatory approval and testing (Tier 0).To ensure safe and responsible deployment, the program is supported by a robust testing and collaboration ecosystem. Development testing within the United States will validate sensor performance and safety before exploring the potential for international adoption. Two dedicated working groups support this effort: the PMO Socio-Political Understanding and Outreach group, which navigates international adoption and local environmental standards, and the Transition and International Partner group, which manages cooperative use cases and deployment safety with global allies.

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