DARPA to host meeting on electronic applications in defense

In an effort to tackle obstacles facing electronics advancement of the last 50 years, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently launched phase two of its Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI).

ERI is a five-year, $1.5 billion program to tackle obstacles facing advanced electronics systems and platforms the Department of Defense (DOD) relies on for national security.

The next phase will establish connections between the various ERI programs and their potential defense applications.

On Dec. 19, DARPA will host Proposers Day in Arlington, Va., to discuss opportunities to develop and demonstrate further ERI’s technological advances with defense industry leaders.

DARPA also plans to announce the Electronics Resurgence Initiative: Defense Applications (ERI:DA). The initiative will solicit proposals to develop, demonstrate, and apply emerging ERI electronic technologies that will have a significant impact on DOD objectives.

“The success of ERI relies on cooperation with the commercial sector to address shared problems,” said William Chappell, director of DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). “However, as a DARPA effort, ERI must also demonstrate that its research findings bolster our nation’s defenses and help create strategic surprise. Through the ERI:DA Proposers Day and potential BAA, DARPA seeks to procure the expertise and transition support of industry and the defense community to help accelerate the delivery of ERI-derived innovations for national security needs.”