Protein ENGineering (PENG)
DARPA — Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency · Other Federal · DARPA-PS-26-129
Source: SAM.gov · View original posting ↗
- AwardWhat a single award can be worth — the funder's published per-award amount or floor–ceiling range.
- Amount not listed
- DeadlineFinal application due date.
- Oct 19, 2026
- Letter of intentDue date for the letter of intent (a short pre-application some funders require or request before the full proposal).
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- MechanismNIH activity code — the grant type (R01 research project, R21 exploratory, K series career development, F series fellowship, …).
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- DurationMaximum project period for a single award.
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- Expected awardsHow many awards the funder anticipates making under this opportunity.
- —
- Funding cycleHow often the program accepts applications (annual, multiple cycles per year, rolling, or one-time).
- Unknown
- Open dateWhen applications open (or opened).
- Aug 21, 2026
- Total fundingThe overall pool the funder expects to commit across ALL awards under this opportunity — not what one project receives.
- —
- Clinical trialWhether proposed projects must, may, or must not include a clinical trial.
- Unspecified
Description
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative proposals for the development of a multifunctional, target-agnostic platform for precise, programmable editing of endogenous proteins. The goal of the Protein ENGineering (PENG) program is to transition proteome engineering from a collection of isolated, bespoke tools into a universal, software-defined discipline. The PENG program will establish a comprehensive, integrated platform composed of modular targeting, generalizable effector chemistries, and multiplexed control systems. Rather than developing isolated, target-specific tools, performers will integrate novel splicing, ligation, and co-translational techniques to directly recognize, modify, and rewrite endogenous proteins within complex biological architectures. Performers may explore multiple technical paths, progressively advancing their approaches from foundational validation to robust demonstrations of efficacy. Ultimately, this integrated platform will be validated in high-fidelity cellular models (e.g., organoids), to provide an integrated proof-of-concept at the tissue level.
Data notes: award amount not published in the source feed.