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General BAA FAQs
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General BAA Frequently Asked Questions
Abstract Submission and Evaluation:
The following questions are offered as general guidelines for those who are interested in submitting proposal abstracts and proposals to the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) at DARPA. Please choose from the following list of question topics.
1. Have you received my abstract?
2. Will you accept late abstracts?
3. I missed the abstract closing deadline. May I submit one anyway? I would like to inquire whether you would be interested in a late abstract, or whether you would prefer us submit the full proposal by the January deadline instead.
4. When electronic submission of abstracts is allowed, why can't I send my abstract in a format different than plain ASCII?
5. Can I get a debriefing of my abstract? What's the status of the review of abstracts? Will we be receiving some notification or feedback and, if so, when?
6. What criteria are used to evaluate abstracts? Are abstracts reviewed according to the same process as proposals?
7. How detailed must my cost proposal be in the abstracts?
8. I have not completely defined my team members yet. Can I submit an abstract without the final team identified?
1. Have you received my abstract?
Acknowledgment of receipt of abstracts are sent to the technical point of contact listed on the abstract within 1-3 working days of the closing date.
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2. Will you accept late abstracts?
Priority is always given to the review of abstracts that meet the deadline for submission. In some instances, a Program Manager may review abstracts that arrive very soon after the deadline; review of late abstracts is not guaranteed.
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3. I missed the abstract closing deadline. May I submit one anyway? I would like to inquire whether you would be interested in a late abstract, or whether you would prefer us submit the full proposal by the January deadline instead.
Priority is always given to the review of abstracts that meet the deadline for submission. In some instances, a Program Manager may review abstracts that arrive very soon after the deadline; review of late abstracts is not guaranteed. All proposals are reviewed thoroughly regardless of whether or not the submitter has previously submitted an abstract.
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4. When electronic submission of abstracts is allowed, why can't I send my abstract in a format different than plain ASCII?
Because of differences in platforms and application software that may be used throughout the research community, submitters must use the format specified in the BAA. In some cases, the format specified is plain ASCII.
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5. Can I get a debriefing of my abstract? What's the status of the review of abstracts? Will we be receiving some notification or feedback and, if so, when?
Submitters of abstracts will receive feedback from DARPA following the review of abstracts. The feedback will be one of three types:
- a simple encourage/discourage message;
- an encourage/discourage message with a menu of comments; or
- an encourage/discourage message with individualized comments.
All submitters of abstracts to a particular BAA will receive the same type of message to ensure that all submitters have been provided an equal opportunity to benefit from the feedback. Feedback is sent as soon as possible to allow the recipient to use the information provided to prepare for proposal submission. DARPA attempts to provide feedback within 30 days of the abstract submission deadline.
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6. What criteria are used to evaluate abstracts? Are abstracts reviewed according to the same process as proposals?
Abstracts are reviewed according to the same process and criteria as proposals. However, the decisions for abstracts are simply to encourage or discourage the subsequent proposal submission.
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7. How detailed must my cost proposal be in the abstracts?
A rough order of magnitude of cost and program duration must provided in the abstract. Additional detail such as funding distribution among team members and associated levels of effort are helpful but not required in the abstract.
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8. I have not completely defined my team members yet. Can I submit an abstract without the final team identified?
You can submit an abstract without a final team defined. However, as a proposing researcher, it is to your benefit to describe a complete team able to meet the commitments of your research project.
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