The due dates for submission of White Papers and Posters for presentation at the VHESC Proposers' Day have been changed.  White papers must be submitted no later than 26 January 2005.  All posters must be received by 04 February 2005 for review by DARPA.   Presentation of white papers or posters is optional.

http://www.fbo.gov/servlet/Documents/R/389328/208226

The Proposers' Day Announcement was published on 8 October 2004 (http://www.fbo.gov/servlet/Solicitation/R/ODA/DARPA/CMO/SN05-05)

SN05-05 Mod
http://www.fbo.gov/servlet/Documents/R/374570

The purpose of Amendment 02 to SN05-05 is for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to promulgate the new date for attendance at this Proposers' Day Conference, and to further clarify the intent and purpose of having this Proposers' Day Conference. The following is applicable and supersedes previously published information associated with SN05-05.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Advanced Technology Office (ATO), in collaboration with the Defense Sciences Office (DSO), anticipates releasing a solicitation late February 2005 for the VHESC program.  Recent developments drawing on the use of engineered biomolecules to guide the assembly of inorganic materials offer the potential of a new process path for fabricating nanoscale inorganic three-dimensional meta-structures with dimensional and assembly control not achievable with current technologies. Combined, these independent advances suggest the potential for manufacturing a new type of high-efficiency, advanced photovoltaic solar power source. The objective of the VHESC program is to drive the concurrent development and integration of these technologies with current processes and demonstrate an affordable next-generation high-efficiency photovoltaic with a minimum of 50% efficiency.

The program requires that teams be formed to comprehensively address all aspects of the problem including the development of a range of mutually compatible processes for the synthesis, manipulation, and assembly of nanoscale inorganic functional materials, process control and integration, nanoscale device design, and ultimately develop high-efficiency photovoltaic cells as a product that is scaleable to industrial fabrication of the device.  Potential teams may be comprised of elements from industry, academia, and national laboratories, but must include elements from industry appropriate to the subsequent manufacture of successfully developed devices.

DARPA is unaware of any single organization capable of addressing the breadth and depth of technologies referenced above. DARPA is leveraging the breadth of both the Advanced Technology Office (ATO) and the Defense Sciences Office (DSO) of DARPA in this joint program to capture the diverse technical capabilities from academia, national labs and industry that will be required to achieve this challenging objective.

DARPA will hold a Proposers' Day Conference and Teaming Meeting in support of the VHESC program on 10 February 2005 at System Planning Corporation, 1000 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA beginning at 8:00am with an anticipated ending time of 5:00pm.  The registration fee for the conference will be $50.00. The purpose of the conference and teaming meeting is to provide program information, address questions from potential proposers, and provide a forum for potential proposers to present their capabilities for teaming opportunities.  A portion of the conference agenda will be reserved for a poster session by prospective proposers who wish to present company overviews and discuss their VHESC relevant technology expertise.  In order to display a poster, the proposer must submit a white paper for approval, describing their poster and relevant expertise to the VHESC program.  The white papers must be no longer than three (3) pages, demonstrate the relevance of the technology to the VHESC program, discuss process capabilities, design, or fabrication capabilities, and present ideas that will be amenable to team development.  Selected white papers will be notified to submit a poster for Proposers Day.  The white papers must be submitted no later than 5 January 2005.  The white papers can be submitted by e-mail to B-FAB@darpa.mil. The selected white papers will then be required to submit electronic copies of the posters they will be presenting.  All posters must be received by 10 January 2005 for prior review by DARPA. All material will be subjected to review by DARPA for sensitive but unclassified information.  It is the presenter's responsibility to ensure that all material presented is approved by the organization that funded the research.    

Registration for the Proposers Day Conference is on-line at http://safe.sysplan.com/b-fab.  In order to submit an approved poster you must be registered. If on-line registration is not possible, please contact the program e-mail at B-FAB@darpa.mil no later than 7 February 2005 to register.  The attendance at the meeting will be restricted to the first 200 people to register.  Foreign nationals will be required to complete and return the DARPA Foreign National Visitor Request (DARPA Form 60) no later than 7 February 2005 if they wish to attend the conference.

Attendance at the Proposers Day Conference is not required to propose to any BAA that may be associated with this technology area.  Updates to program information will be posted as necessary to /ato/solicit/VHESC/index.htm. 
NOTE: DO NOT CONTACT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER IDENTIFIED BELOW WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROPOSERS' DAY ANNOUNCEMENT. ALL INQUIRIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED VIA E-MAIL TO B-FAB@darpa.mil.

Patty Matyskiela, Contracting Officer, Phone (571)218-4686, Fax (703)465-1075, Email pmatyskiela@darpa.mil.

Due to the possibility of errors, the official FedBizOpps announcement takes precedence over this transcription in any disagreement between the two.