RA S201209
FCRP Research Announcement

Point of Contact: fcrp-s201209info@src.org

Program Objectives and Description

The Focus Center Research Program ("FCRP"), a consortium of industrial participants and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ("DARPA"), (the "Consortium"), is soliciting white papers from U.S. universities for collaborative, multidisciplinary, multi-university research in selected areas of principal interest.

The goal of this collaborative effort between the Department of Defense and the industrial participants is to increase substantially the unprecedented multi-decade record of uninterrupted performance improvement in information processing power and storage capacity of integrated circuits and related systems.  This historical advance in IC and related systems technologies resulted from research and development efforts that benefitted both the military and industrial sectors.  It has provided the Department of Defense with an unmatched technological edge in advanced weaponry and provided the U.S. economy with the productivity enhancements critical to U.S. economic growth.

The Consortium seeks to address emerging challenges in semiconductor and systems technologies by concentrating resources on high-risk, high-payoff, long-range innovative research to accelerate the productivity growth and performance enhancement of semiconductor integrated circuits and multi-scale systems.  To this end, the FCRP is focused on exploratory research beyond the horizons of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), and seeks to undertake off-Roadmap opportunities.

This solicitation is open to all U.S. universities and shall be conducted on a competitive basis.  Universities are encouraged to join together to achieve the depth and scope needed to address the technical content of this Research Announcement.  Proposed collaboration among PIs and universities, in the form of centers or otherwise, should identify a lead university and lead PI for purposes of an award and consummation of a sponsored research agreement with the Consortium.

This Research Announcement represents a new phase in the continuing FCRP. The Consortium intends to continue with the solicitation, contracting and reporting requirements that it has used in earlier program phases.

Cross-sharing between universities is strongly encouraged, but only U.S. institutions of higher education or their associated research institutions will be considered for funding.

Research Needs and Areas of Interest

Research needs in the Focus Center Research Program, developed by a task force of DARPA and MARCO industry members, are outlined in the following research announcement documents:

• RA S201209 – Research Announcement
• RA S201209 – Proposer Information Pamphlet

Under this RA, submitters may propose innovative research centers in one or more of the following topical areas. 

Highly Complex Systems

1. High Performance Analog Devices for High Speed Wireless, THz Electronics for Imaging, Sensing, Novel Power Devices
2. Vehicle and Distributed Sensor Networks
3. Computing System Architectures based on CMOS Technology
4. Tools and Methods for Design, Verification, and Predictive Modeling, including Physical Modeling

Semiconductor Technologies beyond CMOS

1. Nonconventional Material Systems
2. Quantum Engineered Devices and New Sensors and Transducers
3. Integrated Circuits and Computing Architectures based on Novel Devices, including both Digital and Analog

White Paper and Proposal Submission Process

A two phase selection process will be used:

1. First, a Proposers' Conference will be held to review this solicitation with interested university teams. A white paper is then requested to outline a university team's proposal for a Center. These white papers will be reviewed by the Consortium, and the most promising will be selected to invite full proposals. The university teams selected to submit full proposals may be given feedback by the Consortium on ways they could strengthen their proposal to meet the research goals, i.e., there will be an opportunity for these teams to discuss potential collaborations to create combined Centers.
2. Second, full proposals for multi-university Centers will then be submitted for final selection for award by the FCRP Governing Council of the Consortium. The selection timeline is given below.

White Papers

White Paper Pre-submission Checklist

All white papers should be electronically submitted as a single PDF document, generated with 10-point or larger fonts and 1-inch margins and must be submitted via the SRC FCRP website by FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2012, 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT.  Limit document size to 6 pages or less, sized to the US standard (8.5 by 11 inches).  Non-compliance with these guidelines may exclude white papers from consideration.

Proposals

For white papers selected for full proposal submission, a unique proposal ID will be forwarded to each offeror with submission instructions.

All proposals should be electronically submitted as a single PDF document, generated with 12-point or larger fonts and 1-inch margins and must be submitted via the SRC FCRP website by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012, 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT. Limit document size to 50 pages or less sized to the US standard (8.5 by 11 inches). Non-compliance with these guidelines may exclude proposals from consideration.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation of white papers and later proposals will be accomplished through a technical review of each white paper and proposal using the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of relative importance:

1. Overall scientific and technical merit
2. Ingenuity, novelty, and impact of overall center and new frontier projects
3. Impact of proposed research (potential contributions to the missions of the FCRP sponsors)
4. Capabilities of proposed investigators
5. Cost effectiveness, realism

Timetable and Deadlines

Please direct all administrative and technical questions to fcrp-s201209info@src.org.