The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was created in 1958 in the aftermath of the Sputnik launch, part of a determined effort by the Pentagon to ensure that the United States and its military always have access to cutting-edge technology. The agency now has an annual budget of close to $3 billion, which over the years it has used to develop such major technologies as synthetic biology, carbon nanotubes, and the Internet itself. Darpa’s director, Arati Prabhakar, a former venture capitalist and Darpa program manager, hosted The Chronicle in her office recently to discuss the agency’s interest in working with university researchers not only in traditional realms such as engineering but also in newly expanded initiatives into areas that include the biological and social sciences.

May 13, 2016 ・ From Chronicle Higher Education