The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity asks the public for information on ways to characterize the functional, structural and synthesis pipelines of biomanufactured materials.
IARPA said Friday it believes new predictive technologies are needed for national security as the industrial role of biomanufacturing increasingly grows and presents both opportunities and challenges.
Biomanufacturing uses a living organism or its components to create a product and presents the flexibility to produce different kinds of materials. According to IARPA, the technology has the potential to replace 60 percent of traditionally derived material inputs and half of industrial chemical feedstocks relevant to U.S. defense by 2050, but also creates openings that can be used to illegally evade intellectual property laws.
The agency posted a request for information on the SAM.gov platform to gather input on databases, metrics, approaches and methods that can characterize these materials.
Interested parties may electronically submit PDF-formatted responses to IARPA through May 06.
