Mathematics of Boosting Agentic Communication (MATHBAC)

The Defense Sciences Office at DARPA is soliciting research proposals under the Mathematics of Boosting Agentic Communication (MATHBAC) program, aimed at advancing foundational mathematics, systems theory, and information theory to enable and accelerate scientific discovery by autonomous agents and agent collectives. This initiative seeks revolutionary breakthroughs, explicitly excluding incremental improvements to existing practices, and requires proposers to develop innovative theoretical frameworks that integrate foundation or small science models, agentic platforms, and data science tools to drive novel scientific outcomes. The award will be structured as a Research Other Transaction (OT) under 10 U.S.C. § 4021, which means it is not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), DFARS, or standard grant or cooperative agreement rules; instead, it follows the Model Research Other Transaction provided in Attachment G, with terms tailored to DARPA’s mission and flexibility. Proposals must adhere to mandatory templates and submission requirements, including a proposal summary slide, technical and management volume, detailed price justification using the Streamlined Cost Buildup Workbook, a Task Description Document, certifications, and metrics, all submitted through the Broad Agency Announcement Tool by the deadline of June 16, 2026. Only non-Federal entities, excluding FFRDCs, UARCs, national laboratories, and other government entities, are eligible to propose, though non-U.S. participants may join if they comply with security, export control, and nondisclosure requirements. Evaluation of proposals is based on four descending priorities: overall scientific and technical merit, potential contribution to national security technology and technological surprise, reasonableness of proposed pricing, and the proposer’s demonstrated capability to execute the research. The awarded effort spans 34 months, divided into a 16-month Phase I and an 18-month Phase II, with performance tied to milestone-based payments made through the Wide Area Workflow system upon government acceptance of deliverables, including demonstrations, phase completion reports, and technical presentations. Payment is structured via fixed payments triggered by defined milestones, with invoicing requiring upload of AOR approval documentation and using the DoDAAC HR0011. Performers must maintain a GAAP-compliant accounting system and certify compliance with federal requirements regarding drug-free workplaces, lobbying disclosures, tax liabilities, felony convictions, and nondiscrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. All proposals must be unclassified or marked as Controlled Unclassified Information and must include a detailed breakdown of direct labor, materials, equipment, travel, and other direct