Spark a connection with DARPA’s Multi X Office

DARPA's Multi X Office (MXO) is headed to Chicago from Nov. 2-4, 2026, to host MXO Spark Tank, an in-person event designed for prospective proposers, future collaborators, and innovative thinkers.

Launched in May 2026 as the next generation of DARPA's former Microsystems Technology Office, MXO builds upon the successes of its predecessor to expand beyond traditional microsystems and microscale technologies. The office is pursuing multi-scale, multi-disciplinary approaches that apply the physical sciences in new and unconventional ways to create capabilities with the potential to reshape future military and economic advantage.

Spark Tank is the first major opportunity for the curious to engage with MXO since its launch. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Learn first-hand about MXO's remit, technical thrusts, and emerging areas of interest
• Engage directly with program managers via one-on-one sidebar meetings to explore research alignment and potential opportunities for collaboration
• Explore opportunities, entry points, and pathways for working with MXO

Registration opens Aug. 10, 2026. More information can be found on the event website and SAM.gov.

MXO Pitch Day

In conjunction with Spark Tank, MXO is also hosting an invitation-only Pitch Day on Nov. 2. Selected teams will have the opportunity to pitch concepts directly to MXO program managers for potential funding to support exploratory efforts.

MXO is looking for revolutionary ideas that align with one or more of the following technical areas:

• A world beyond electronics: Developing non-electronic and hybrid physical approaches, such as (but not limited to) optical, quantum, organic, and acoustic devices, to advance sensing and communications capabilities beyond modern radio-frequency systems.
• Foundations beyond components: Creating technologies and methods that survive, and even thrive, in extreme environments. This includes advancing automation, endurance, and survivability for uncrewed systems, as well as novel methods for manufacturing and sustaining components using the local environment.
• Materials beyond nature and current synthetic practice: Discovering and fabricating advanced materials with unprecedented capabilities. Areas of interest include programmable materials, built-in autonomous resiliency, and new artificially created material properties.

To be considered for Pitch Day participation, interested parties must submit a short abstract consisting of a technical description of the proposed idea in response to one of the focus areas listed above.

The submission deadline is July 29, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET. DARPA will notify applicants if they are selected for further evaluation via an in-person Pitch Day presentation.

Further details on the Pitch Day submission process, including abstract formatting and instructions, can be found in the Pitch Day solicitation on SAM.gov.

"The challenges that MXO is pursuing require ideas from many corners of the technical ecosystem," said Whitney Mason, Ph.D., director of DARPA's Multi X Office. "Through Spark Tank and Pitch Day, we are looking forward to engaging prospective performers, welcoming new voices into the DARPA community, and finding the bold concepts that can help us deliver on MXO's mission."

Key dates

• July 29 at 1 p.m. ET - Pitch Day abstract deadline
• Aug. 10 - Spark Tank registration opens
• Sept. 4 - Pitch Day invitations delivered (anticipated date)
• Oct. 18 - Spark Tank registration deadline
• Nov. 2 - Pitch Day
• Nov. 2-4 - Spark Tank

For questions, contact or .

To stay informed about timely MXO research opportunities, events, ways to work with the office, and more, subscribe to MXO's newsletter, Forward Dispatch.

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