The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Small Business Programs Office (SBPO) is issuing an SBIR/STTR Opportunity (SBO) inviting submissions of innovative research concepts in the technical domain(s) of Materials/Processes. In particular, DARPA is interested in understanding the feasibility of high-throughput, non-destructive methods for elemental analysis of environmental microbes.
Objective
Develop methods that enable high-throughput, non-destructive elemental analysis of living microbial cells and communities, to identify microbes that contain metallic/nonmetallic elements of interest.
Description
Rare earth elements (REE) are key components of antennas, sensor arrays, missile guidance systems and a multitude of communications platforms. Biotechnological approaches that utilize microbes to sequester rare earth metals or other critical elements from a variety of domestic sources may enable processes that provide DoD with a more secure supply chain for these materials. Advancing these processes will require new tools for identifying bacteria that can bind or modify rare earth or other critical elements with selectivity, specificity, and efficiency.
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