Ctrl-P to Print
Young Faculty Award (YFA)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q : Do references need to be included within the 10 pages, or can they be in separate pages outside the limit?
A : All information that is to be considered within the proposal must be within the 10 pages. The format for the references is yours to choose.
Q : In other agency proposals, Biographical Information, CVs, a statement of Current and Pending Work and copies of related manuscripts are generally allowed. Are these items required? Are they included within the 10 page limit?
A : No, these items are not required. DARPA is primarily interested in your ideas and not in the other information that other agencies sometimes request. You may choose to include this and/or other information in your proposal, but it must fit within the 10 pages allowed. We strongly encourage you to be sure that your proposal includes all of the information that the RA specifically asks for before working to insert information that we are not asking for.
Q : I am not a US citizen and my paperwork for status is being processed but not yet approved. Am I eligible for the YFA?
A : The RA states that “This participation is limited to non-tenured Assistant Professors with tenure-track positions at U.S. institutions of higher learning and a Ph.D. degree obtained in the year 1998 or later. DARPA is particularly interested in supporting outstanding researchers who have previously not been involved in DARPA programs. Proposers should either state that they have not been funded by DARPA since receiving their PhD or briefly list the programs, and level of effort, under which they have been funded in this period. US citizenship or permanent residency is highly preferred, and the status of the PI in this regard should be stated on the cover page of the proposal.” Based on this statement, Faculty who are not Citizens or Permanent Residents are still eligible, and are encouraged to apply.
Q : What are the preferred technical areas of interest for this opportunity?
A : The RA describes the 5 areas of interest within MTO as “…1) electronics, 2) photonics, 3) micro and nano electro mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), 4) architectures, and 5) algorithms …” These areas are certainly quite broad, reflecting the full scope of activities funded by MTO. Some more detail can be gathered by reviewing the individual program manager websites and the descriptions of programs that they are managing, since future programs will be based on the interests of the program managers.
Q : Should I contact a Program Manager to discuss an idea that I think might be a good fit to the YFA?
A : It is always acceptable and encouraged for anyone with ideas to contact MTO Program Managers. In the case of the YFA program, we anticipate a significant response, and you may find that our program managers are only able to provide limited feedback. Nevertheless, it is always OK to contact them and ask. All MTO Program Managers will be involved in the evaluation of the proposals and in the management of the projects that are selected.
Q : Is there a template available for the 3-page proposal abstracts that are due in October?
A : No, there isn’t a template for the 3-page document. There are templates for the 1-page Penta Chart that is required to accompany the 3 pages of text. Our advice on the construction of the 3-page document is that proposers read the YFA RA very carefully and be sure to include all the information that is requested. We do appreciate that providing all the requested information in a 3-page document is a challenge, and we expect that the best proposals will include great ideas and clear, efficient descriptions of the ideas.
Q : I have a really great idea for YFA. What are the most important things to emphasize in a YFA Proposal Abstract?
A : This is a good question, and a hard one to answer with accuracy. here are some thoughts to keep in mind. First, it is important to remember that DARPA is a service agency – Its goal is to provide technologies that surprise our enemies and give advantages to our warfighters. As you think about your idea, please try to explain what impact it can have on these objectives. It is not necessary for a YFA project to deliver a device to the battlefield, but there should be some linkage between the objective of the project and these goals. Second, once there is some application pathway identified for your idea, think about all the challenges that will need to be overcome to get from the present status to that goal, and select one of the early, critical challenges as the target for your project. The goal of your project should be to show that this challenge has been or can be overcome. Of course, you need to explain the idea, show that you know what you’re talking about, and explain your plan for the project. Scientific and Technical Merit is the #1 review Criteria for a reason, but I think it is safe to assume that all the YFA competitors are already getting lots of practice at writing good S+T content in proposals. The main message in this answer is : please keep in mind that the main difference between DARPA and some other agencies (NSF, for example), is that we have a job to do for the DoD, and we need to see how all the projects relate to that job.
Q : Should I visit DARPA to talk to Dr. Kenny or some other PMs about my idea? Or, should I arrange a Teleconference?
A : These are both unlikely to happen. We are anticipating more than 250 YFA pre-proposals. The primary legal requirement that we face in dealing with proposers during open BAAs is Fairness. Since it is not physically possible for Dr. Kenny to take this many teleconferences in the next 4 weeks, he has been avoiding all of them. The other PMs in the office are bound by the same fairness rules, so you may notice a similar reluctance to talk. Many proposers have been contacting Dr. Kenny and other PMs by email, and getting some feedback on the process, eligibility, and overlap between certain ideas and the MTO spectrum of interest. Our advice is for proposers to focus on email communications.