Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – Directory

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) agency charged with seeking breakthrough concepts and technologies with broad applicability against threats to national security.

DARPA invests primarily in the early technology development phases of programs and the demonstration of prototype systems.

DARPA works to complement the DoD CBRN Defense Program by anticipating threats and developing novel defenses against them. The agency coordinates with the services and other agencies, including the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for CBD and DTRA Chemical & Biological Technologies Directorate (DTRA-CB) to avoid duplication of efforts and to maximize effectiveness of resources.

DARPA’s programs are conducted under the oversight of six technical offices: the Defense Sciences Office, the Information Innovation Office, the Microsystems Technology Office, the Strategic Technology Office, the Tactical Technology Office, and the agency’s most recent addition, the Biological Technologies Office.

In 2014 DAPRA merged components of several program offices into a new Biotechnology Technologies Office (BTO) to foster innovations related to biological sciences. BTO’s investment portfolio goes far beyond life sciences applications in medicine to include areas of research such as human-machine interfaces, microbes as production platforms, and deep exploration of the impact of evolving ecologies and environments on U.S. readiness and capabilities.

The agency supports approximately 240 government employees, about half of whom are program managers. Its research is conducted by a wide array of public- and private-sector performers via 2,000 contracts, grants and other agreements.