DARPA-SN-26-102.pdf

DARPA-SN- 26-102 Protein ENGineering (PENG) Proposers Day

Special Notice (SN) DARPA-SN- 26-102 Protein ENGineering (PENG)

Proposers Day August 10, 2026

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is sponsoring a Proposers Day to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of an anticipated Program Solicitation (PS) for the Protein ENGineering (PENG) program. The Proposers Day will be held on August 10, 2026, from 10:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in Arlington, VA. The event will be webcasted for those who would like to participate remotely. Advance registration is required for attending the Proposers Day in person and virtually.

The goals of the PENG Proposers Day are to: (1) introduce the research community (industry, academia, and Government) to the PENG program vision and goals; (2) explain the mechanics of a DARPA program and the milestones of this particular effort; and (3) encourage and promote teaming arrangements among potential organizations that have the relevant expertise, facilities, and capabilities for executing a research and development program responsive to the PENG program goals.

DARPA anticipates releasing the PENG PS in July 2026. If released, the PS will be available on https://sam.gov/ and http://www.grants.gov/. Following Proposers Day, DARPA will post program overview materials on the DARPA website.

To maximize the pool of innovative proposal concepts, DARPA strongly encourages participation by non‐traditional proposers (including small businesses, academic and research institutions, and first‐time government contractors) in events such as this and any subsequent solicitation.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION

The PENG program seeks to establish a multifunctional, target-agnostic platform for precise, programmable editing of endogenous proteins. Rather than developing isolated, target-specific tools, approaches will integrate novel splicing, ligation, and co-translational techniques to purposely identify and edit proteins to produce an alternate protein function. PENG may explore multiple technical paths, progressively advancing their approaches from foundational validation to robust demonstrations of efficacy. Ultimately, PENG seeks to establish a foundational toolkit that allows researchers to directly and reversibly effect the functional layer of biology. To ensure safety and validation, all research conducted under the PENG program is limited to foundational, bench-top laboratory models and complex in vitro tissue systems (such as organoids). No human testing or clinical trials will be conducted under this program.

TEAMING

DARPA highly encourages teaming before proposal submission and will facilitate the formation of teams with the necessary expertise. Potential proposers may choose to participate in either, none, or both of the following options:

1. Attendee List (limited distribution): Participant contact information (name, organization, email address) will be distributed to all other PENG Proposers Day https://sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ attendees. The registration website will ask registrants to indicate whether they approve distribution of their contact information.

2. Lightning Talk: Attendees may be afforded the opportunity to give a Lightning Talk (a brief, 5-minute oral presentation) during the Proposers Day outlining their interests, capabilities, team, and gaps/needs. The purpose of these presentations is to facilitate teaming discussions among the attendees. Upon registering, attendees may indicate if they are interested in teaming and would like to give a Lightning Talk and download the one-slide briefing template to fill out. Due to limited availability, DARPA will accept submissions on a first-come, first-served basis and does not guarantee that an attendee’s requests to brief will be fulfilled. Slide submissions are due to PENG@DARPA.mil by 12:00 p.m. EDT on August 3, 2026 and must be suitable for public release. DARPA will confirm receipt and distribute a consolidated teaming profile document after the event.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The PENG Proposers Day will be held on August 10, 2026, from 10:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT in Arlington, VA. There is no registration fee for the Proposers Day meeting or webcast.

Registration opens: As of publication of this announcement.

Registration website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/PENGProposersDay

Registration closes (in person attendance): July 31, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. EDT or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

Registration closes (webcast): July 31, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. EDT or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

Advance registration via the above website is required for attending the Proposers Day in person and for receiving access to the webcast. The advance registration requirement applies to every individual intending to view the webcast alone or as part of a group.

Due to the limitations of the conference facility space, in-person attendance is restricted to the first 136 registrants with a maximum of three (3) individuals from any one organization.

Interested parties are encouraged to coordinate attendance internally within their organizations prior to registration.

Registrants in excess of the maximum capacity limitations (136 for in-person attendance and 350 individuals for the webcast) may be added to a waitlist. Individuals who are unable to register for in-person attendance because the deadline has passed or capacity has been reached may have the option of choosing to be added to the waitlist OR registering for attendance via webcast. If slots become available due to cancellations, the slots may be filled on a first-come, first-served basis from the waitlist.

DARPA encourages participants to register a contracting representative to attend the Proposers Day and listen to the DARPA Contracts Management Office briefing on the agenda from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. EDT.

ELIGIBILITY

DARPA hosts Proposers Days to: (1) promote teaming arrangements between researchers; (2) mailto:PENG@darpa.mil https://events.sa-meetings.com/website/97408/ provide potential proposers with information on whether and how they might respond to the Government’s research and development solicitations; and (3) increase efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation. Therefore, Proposers Days are only open to registered potential proposers, i.e., the events are closed to the general public and media. For this particular program, Proposers Day registration is open to potential proposers who are U.S. citizens, U.S.

permanent residents, and foreign nationals.

All registrants who are not U.S. citizens must complete and submit a U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request (e-form 60) no later than 4:00 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2026.

Form 60 submission instructions are provided on the registration website and in the registration confirmation email. If you represent your government in an official capacity, please contact your embassy in Washington, D.C. to apply to visit DARPA as an official foreign visitor. Upon entry to the physical meeting, all attendees must present valid, Government-issued photo identification.

Q & A Administrative, technical, and contractual questions about the PENG should be emailed to PENG@DARPA.mil. All questions must be in English and must include the name and email address of a point of contact. Following Proposers Day, DARPA may post an FAQ list on the DARPA website.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please refer to the PENG Proposers Day in all correspondence.

• Technical Point of Contact: Robin Bonomi, Program Manager, PENG@DARPA.mil

• Registration Website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/PENGProposersDay

• DARPA Opportunities Website: https://www.darpa.mil/research#research-opportunities

DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES

Attendance at the PENG Proposers Day or viewing the webcast is voluntary and is not required to propose to the anticipated PENG PS. Interested parties to this notice are cautioned that nothing herein obligates the Government to issue a solicitation. The Proposers Day does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. This announcement is issued solely for information and program planning purposes and is not a Request for Information (RFI). Since this is not an RFI, the Government will not accept submissions against this notice, with the exception of the one-page profile referenced in the Teaming section for Lightning Talks. No classified, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controlled, or proprietary information shall be presented by the Government at Proposers Day. Inclusion of proprietary information during Lightning Talks is at the presenter’s discretion; however, any submitted Lightning Talk presentation slides should be appropriate for public release.

Specific content, communications, networking, and team formation are the sole responsibility of the participants. Neither DARPA nor the Department of War (DoW) endorses the information and organizations contained in the consolidated teaming profile document, nor does DARPA or DoW exercise any responsibility for improper dissemination of the teaming profiles. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this Proposers Day. Recording Proposers Day is not permitted.

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For those new to DARPA or national security, DARPA makes available a free, comprehensive resource via DARPAConnect on how to do business with the agency. In addition to DARPA 101 materials, relevant preparatory modules include “Making the Most of a Proposers Day” and “Understanding DARPA Broad Agency Announcements.” Registration and access are free at www.darpaconnect.us.

http://www.darpaconnect.us/