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Joint University Microelectronics Program 2.0 (JUMP 2.0) Research Announcement

Program Objectives and Description

JUMP 2.0, a consortium of industrial participants (the “Consortium”) in cooperation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (“DARPA”), solicits white papers from U.S. universities for collaborative, multidisciplinary, multi-university research in selected areas of principal interest. 

The goal of this collaborative effort between the Department of Defense and the industrial participants is to substantially increase the performance, efficiency, and capabilities of broad classes of electronics systems for both commercial and military applications. These research and development efforts should benefit both the defense and industrial sectors by providing the Department of Defense with an unmatched technological edge in advanced radar, communications, and weapons systems, and provide the U.S. economy with unique information technology and processing capabilities critical to commercial competitiveness and future economic growth. 

To address existing and emerging challenges in information and communication technologies (ICT) and associated technologies, the Program will concentrate resources on long-range innovative research that is high risk and high reward. The most important focus areas are ICT challenges, as outlined in the 2030 Decadal Plan for Semiconductors, and accelerating innovation in applications, as outlined in DARPA’s Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) 2.0. To this end, the JUMP 2.0 program is focused on exploratory research on an 8- to 12-year time horizon that is anticipated to lead to defense and commercial opportunities in the 2030–2035 timeframe. 

As innovation is key to the success of JUMP 2.0, the Program seeks to foster diverse and inclusive research environments for the seven Centers that support our efforts to broaden participation. Our goal is to identify and support the best ideas, not simply the most prominent universities. 

Timetable and Deadlines

A two phase selection process will be used following this timeline:

Event Deadline
Research Announcement Release December 22, 2021
JUMP 2.0 Proposers' Day Workshop* January 25, 2022
White Papers Due March 7, 2022
Response to White Papers April 25, 2022
Full JUMP 2.0 Center Proposals Due June 22, 2022
JUMP 2.0 Center Proposals Selected for Award August 23, 2022
Launch JUMP 2.0 Centers January 1, 2023

Phase I: White Paper Submission

Our primary goal is to accept white papers that outline a university team’s proposal for the conversion of one of the seven systems and technology themes listed below into a JUMP 2.0 research Center. These Center white papers will be reviewed by the Consortium and DARPA, and the most promising will be invited to submit a full Center proposal in Phase II. University teams invited to submit full proposals will be given feedback by the Consortium and DARPA on ways they could strengthen their full proposal and team to meet the research goals, and will be provided with contact information for promising Single Task submissions. 

During this initial white paper phase, the consortium will also provide a separate channel that allows for Single Task White Paper submissions from individual Principal Investigators (PIs) or very small teams (1-3 PIs), at the project level. This mechanism is made available to encourage researchers who may have an innovative individual idea aligned to one or more of the seven themes, but lack connectivity into one of the proposed Center white papers. The Consortium and DARPA will only select and award research submitted as part of a successful full Center proposal but will share contact information (name, university, abstract title, and email address) to connect promising Single Task White Paper submissions with Center proposers that have been invited for full submission in Phase II. Ultimately, individual task(s) must be included as part of a full Center proposal. 

*JUMP 2.0 Proposers’ Day Workshop:

To assist potential Center directors, university teams, and rising individual PIs with the quality of their JUMP 2.0 white papers, a "Proposers’ Day Workshop" will be conducted to review this solicitation with Program sponsors. This event is intended to make connections between interested parties, and discuss the general logistics surrounding the seven JUMP 2.0 Centers. Both Center proposals and individual submissions can be presented at this event.  

Following the Proposers’ Day Workshop, information presented will be posted on the event page. Additional information and registration details will be posted on the JUMP 2.0 Proposers' Day Workshop page on December 27, 2021 @ 2P EST. 

Response to White Papers: 

SRC will respond to each Center white paper submission at the end of Phase I, either inviting them to submit a full proposal or informing them that they may not do so.  

Single Task proposers may be contacted by Center Directors prior to Center awards. SRC will respond to each Single Task white paper submission to notify them once the full selection process is complete and Centers are awarded.   

Phase II: Full Center Proposals

By invitation from the Consortium and DARPA, full proposals for multi-university Centers will be submitted, reviewed, and selected for award by the JUMP 2.0 Governing Council.  

General Considerations

JUMP 2.0 will be administered on behalf of the Consortium and DARPA by SRCco, a wholly owned subsidiary of SRC doing business as the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corporation (MARCO). MARCO is a not-for-profit, special purpose entity established to support the participants. It operates under the direction of the JUMP 2.0 Governing Council and in support of the JUMP 2.0 Science Advisory Board. Program participants will evaluate all proposals submitted in accordance with this Research Announcement. Selection of proposals for award shall be made by the Governing Council of the Consortium. 

This solicitation is open to all U.S. universities and shall be conducted on a competitive basis. Universities are encouraged to join together to achieve the depth and scope needed to address the technical content and goals of broadening participation outlined in this Research Announcement. Proposed collaboration among PIs and universities, in the form of Centers or otherwise, should identify a lead university and lead PI for purposes of an award and consummation of a sponsored research agreement with the Consortium. 

This Research Announcement represents a new program. The Consortium and DARPA intends to continue with the solicitation, contracting and reporting requirements that it has used in earlier MARCO-related research programs such as JUMP, STARnet, and FCRP. 

Collaboration between universities is strongly encouraged, but only U.S. institutions of higher education or their associated research institutions will be considered for funding.  

The Consortium and DARPA seeks proposals for Centers that address one of the following seven complementary themes. Note details in  Needs Document . 

Seven Systems (S) & Technology (T) Themes

  1. Cognition (S): Next-generation AI systems and architectures.
  2. Communications and Connectivity (S): Efficient communication technologies for ICT systems. 
  3. Intelligent Sensing to Action (S): Sensing capabilities and embedded intelligence to enable fast and efficient generation of actions
  4. Systems and Architectures for Distributed Compute (S): Distributed computing systems and architectures in an energy efficient compute and accelerator fabric 
  5. Intelligent Memory and Storage (S): Emerging memory devices and storage arrays for intelligent memory systems
  6.  Advanced Monolithic and Heterogeneous Integration (T): Novel electric and photonic interconnect fabrics and advanced packaging .  
  7. High-performance Energy-Efficient Devices for Digital and Analog Applications (T): Novel materials, devices, and interconnect technologies to enable next-generation digital and analog applications   

Research Needs

Research needs are outlined in the JUMP 2.0 Needs Document .

White Paper Guidelines

JUMP 2.0 Center White Paper Guidelines (Themes 1 through 7)

JUMP 2.0 Center White Papers are limited to six total pages, formatted with a minimum 10-point font size, and must be submitted using the "Submit a Center White Paper" button at the top of this page by March 7, 2022, no later than 3PM EST/ 12PM PST. Submissions that do not comply with all guidelines will not be considered. NOTE: You need to create an account at SRC.org in order to submit a white paper. For more information find help here: https://src.secure-platform.com/a

Be sure to include the following information in your Center White Paper:

  • Center title
  • JUMP 2.0 System or Technology theme addressed
  • Center Director, Assistant Director, and Lead University
  • Principal Investigator(s) and their associated Universities
  • Contact information for all proposed Center staff (telephone number, mailing address, and e-mail address).

Center White Paper submissions should address the following areas:

  • Targeted Theme: Emphasize the area and problems to be addressed.
  • Approach: Present your strategy for addressing the problem. Describe important findings from any associated research to date. Describe how your proposed research would advance the state-of-the-art and be useful to sponsoring companies and DARPA.
  • Objectives and Results: Outline what you plan to accomplish in the 5-year period. Clearly detail what you expect to accomplish in the first three years of the Center charter. Centers should outline opportunities for cross-Center collaboration that are common to all.  
    • System Centers – Grand Challenge: Define a quantitative grand challenge in the research space addressed by the proposed center that will be achieved by the center before the end of the JUMP 2.0 program. 
    • Technology Centers – Metrics and Benchmarking: Define a set of key metrics that the Center will use to benchmark and drive efforts and collaboration in this research space. 
  • Organization & Participants: Describe the Center’s organization.
    • We recommend that Center research and performers be divided into sub themes related to Center objectives (≤ 4) with staffed / specific research tasks (~5) therein.
    • Identify up to 50% of faculty performers; not to exceed ten.
    • Describe remaining faculty roles required to achieve objectives, and outline approach to fully staff Center if invited to submit full proposal.
  • Operational Model: Outline your operational model, and how it will align performers, increase mindshare and collaboration, and amplify Center objectives and funding. We seek proactive communication with sponsors and liaisons, opportunities for faculty and student collaboration, and efficient administration. 
  • Funding Request:  Plan for yearly budget should include overhead charges by your institution. Besides faculty, please estimate the number of students (undergrads, graduate students, and postdocs) supported and their degree affiliations. A detailed and approved budget is not required at this time as it will be part of selected full proposals. 
  • Funding Leverage: Illustrate how leveraged funding will be helpful towards Center goals and objectives. 
  • Background IP: Identify any blocking preexisting intellectual property on which new results will be based.
  • Broadening Participation: Describe how you will foster a diverse, inclusive, and innovative research environment. Consider SRC’s Broadening Participation Pledge and the goals of the DARPA Young Faculty Award program. 

Contract Awardees will be expected to: 

  • Drive and deliver meaningful annual project reviews and topical workshops. This should include participation from within and across JUMP 2.0 research Centers.
  • Define deliverables and provide updates that help JUMP sponsors easily assess how the research is progressing against Center goals and sponsor interests.
  • Interact with JUMP 2.0 liaisons, including task liaison meetings.
  • Submit publications, posters, thesis, etc. resulting from the sponsored research.
  • Facilitate student interactions and hiring by Industry participants.
  • Provide e-Workshops that update the JUMP 2.0 community on topics of keen interest.
  • Identify and pursue cross-collaborative research opportunities with other Centers
  • File patents in promising areas of research.
  • Submit reports required for program compliance.
  • Manage the center budget with timely invoicing and spending.
  • Put forward a top-tier research agenda while also being mindful of the STEM-education and employment initiatives of JUMP 2.0 sponsors.
  • Incorporate SRC Member resources as appropriate

JUMP 2.0 Single Task White Paper Guidelines (Themes 1 through 7)

JUMP 2.0 Single Task White Papers are limited to two pages total, using a minimum of 10-point font size, and must be submitted using the "Submit a Single Task White Paper" button at the top of this page by March 7, 2022, no later than 3PM EST/ 12PM PST. Submissions that do not comply with all guidelines will not be considered. NOTE: You need to create an account at SRC.org in order to submit a white paper. For more information find help here: https://src.secure-platform.com/a

Identify the information below in your Single Task White Paper: 

  • White Paper title
  • Alignment with the Center research themes outlined in this Research Announcement
  • Principal Investigator(s) and their associated universities.
  • Contact information for all proposed PIs (telephone number, mailing address, and e-mail address). Single task submissions limited to 1-3 PIs.

Single Task White Paper should address the following areas:

  • Targeted Theme: Emphasize the area and problems to be addressed.
  • Approach: Present your strategy for addressing the problem. Describe important findings from any associated research to date. Describe how your proposed research would advance the state-of-the-art and be useful to JUMP 2.0 sponsoring companies and DARPA. 
  • Objectives and Results: What do you plan to accomplish in the 5-year period? Specify clearly what is expected to be accomplished in the first 3 years of the Center’s charter. What are the anticipated outputs of a successful effort? Review DARPA’s "Heilmeier Catechism" for guidance in outlining research objectives and results.
  • Funding Request and Participants: Plan for yearly budget should include overhead charges by your institution. Besides faculty, estimate the number of students and post docs supported and their degree affiliations. A detailed approved budget is not required at this time as it will be part of selected full proposals. 
  • Funding Leverage: Illustrate how leveraged funding will be helpful towards the center goals and objectives.
  • Background IP: Identify any blocking preexisting intellectual property on which new results will be based.

Full Proposal Guidelines

Full proposals should address and expand on all areas listed in the Center White Paper guidelines, incorporating feedback from the Consortium 

In addition to those areas listed above, full proposals must include the following:

  • A detailed and approved budget is required at this time
  • Identify 100% of faculty performers
  • To encourage novel ideas and performers, proposals must include;
    • New performers. No less than 25% of total faculty must be first-time SRC performers.
    • Young Faculty. No less than 25% of total faculty must be current tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professors, or tenured Assistant or Associate Professors within three years of their tenure appointment at a U.S. institution of higher education.

The Consortium will share contact information (name, university, title and email address) for promising Single Task White Papers of interest to the Consortium and DARPA with potential Center leaders, to encourage connections and assist in staffing their full team.   

Program Scope

Following proposal selection, awards pursuant to sponsored research agreements with the Consortium will be made as appropriate, for base periods of up to five years, to accommodate student education and provide adequate time for discovery and progress in new areas. The research is expected to start on January 1, 2023. There will be a checkpoint at 2.5 years to allow for re-direction as needed within the Centers and program; this will not be a re-competition. Overall program funding may reach a level of $5.0M to $7.0M per annum per Center, depending on research progress and availability of funds. The funds may not be equally divided among Awardees. The technical point-of-contact for this effort is the JUMP 2.0 solicitation team.

General Information

Proposers should review the Needs Document , which provides further information on areas of interest. White papers and subsequent proposals not meeting the format described may not be reviewed. Proposers must submit all white papers and proposals as a single PDF document via the "Submit" button at the top of the page.

This announcement, any attachments, and any references to external websites herein constitute the total solicitation. If proposers cannot access the referenced material posted in this  announcement, contact the administrative contact. No other information is available, nor will a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. Requests for the same will be disregarded. The Consortium reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the program needs may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the Consortium and DARPA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals; however, no portion of this RA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation. 

Any objections to the terms of the JUMP 2.0 Research Announcement must be presented in writing within the ten (10) calendar days of the date the objector knows or should have known the basis for its objection. Objections must be provided in letter format, clearly stating that it is an objection or protest to this Research Announcement or to the conduct of evaluation or award of a contract and providing a clearly detailed factual statement of the basis for objection. Objections must be received at the address stated at the bottom of this page for delivery of proposals within the times indicated to be considered. Other administrative correspondence and questions related to this Research Announcement, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal, should be directed to: JUMP-2.0-Solicitation@src.org 

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation of white papers and later proposals will be accomplished through a technical review of each white paper and proposal using the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of relative importance: 

  1. Overall scientific and technical merit
  2. Ingenuity, novelty, and impact of overall Center
  3. Impact of proposed research on needs of the Consortium Industry Sponsors and DARPA
  4. Capabilities of proposed investigators
  5. Broadening Participation
  6. Cost effectiveness, realism

Direct questions to JUMP-2.0-Solicitation@src.org

Frequently Asked Questions/strong>

A list of common questions will be posted in a FAQ and refreshed periodically.

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