DARPA-SN-26-59.pdf

DARPA-SN-26-59 MATHBAC Proposers Day

Special Notice (SN) DARPA-SN-26-59 Mathematics of Boosting Agentic Communication (MATHBAC)

Proposers Day April 21, 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 Exploration Program Announcement (PA) for the Mathematics of Boosting Agentic Communication (MATHBAC) program. The Proposers Day will be held on April 21, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) in Arlington, VA. The event will be webcast for those who would like to participate remotely. Advance registration is required for attending the Proposers Day in person and viewing the webcast. Note that all times listed in this announcement and on the registration website are Eastern Time.

The goals of the MATHBAC Proposers Day are to (1) introduce the research community (industry and academia) to the MATHBAC 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 MATHBAC program goals.

DARPA anticipates releasing the MATHBAC PA in April 2026. If released, the PA will be available on https://sam.gov/.

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

MATHBAC will enable the next generation of Agentic Artificial Intelligence Platforms that systematically evolve to transform the nature of scientific discovery for defense. MATHBAC will develop the science of AI communication, leveraging/deriving mathematics, systems, and information theory to govern how AI agents collaborate and share information as well as how they disentangle complex data streams to extract generalizable principles. This enables agentic platforms to not only solve complex problems but also to understand the fundamentals behind their own functioning and solutions.

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 MATHBAC Proposers Day attendees. The registration website will ask registrants to indicate whether they approve distribution of their contact information.

https://sam.gov/

2. Proposer Profile List (limited distribution): Interested parties will submit a one-page profile consisting of their contact information (name, organization, email, telephone number, mailing address, and, if applicable, organization website), a brief description of their technical competencies, in particular, with (1) agentic AI, (2) small science models, and (3) mathematics/information/systems/data science theory and algorithms and, if applicable, their desired expertise from other teams/organizations. All profiles must be emailed to MATHBAC@darpa.mil no later than 12:00 a.m. on April 14, 2026.

Following the deadline, the consolidated teaming profiles will be sent via email to the proposers who submitted a profile. 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 do DARPA or DoW exercise any responsibility for improper dissemination of the teaming profiles.

From 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., the DARPA Contracts Management Office will be hosting a separate virtual meeting targeting proposer contracting personnel to answer any questions and provide additional information on how to propose to the anticipated solicitation.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The MATHBAC Proposers Day will be held on April 21, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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/MATHBACProposersDay Registration closes (in person attendance): April 7, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first.

Registration closes (webcast): April 7, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. 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 120 registrants with a maximum of three (3) individuals from any one organization and no more than one (1) representatives per division/department of that organization. Interested parties are encouraged to coordinate attendance internally within their organizations prior to registration.

Registrants in excess of the maximum capacity limitations (120 for in-person attendance and 1000 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 participate in the separate meeting with the DARPA Contracts mailto:MATHBAC@darpa.mil https://usg02.safelinks.protection.office365.us/?url=https://events.sa-meetings.com/MATHBACProposersDay&data=05%7C02%7Ckelly.gifford.ctr@darpa.mil%7Cacc3ffe3cfcf4feb156008de8e7f7a3b%7Cf84814b5f44e46909314553e36b5f585%7C0%7C0%7C639104875332093042%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ==%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=kmDuG07jpPbnvECWEMQYl+A5Q/ioaKCSwbA125Dvqkw=&reserved=0

Management Office from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m..

ELIGIBILITY

DARPA hosts Proposers Days to: (1) promote teaming arrangements between researchers; (2) 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 either a DARPA Form 60 (U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request – e.g., industry or academia) or an Official Visit Request (foreign government personnel, only) through their country’s embassy based in Washington, DC, no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 7, 2026. Form 60 submission instructions are provided on the registration website and in the registration confirmation email. Registrants who have submitted a Form 60 that was approved within the last six months do not need to re-submit. The Form 60 will remain valid for six months.

Contact your Embassy staff for assistance in submitting the Official Visit Request. Upon entry to the physical meeting, all attendees must present valid, Government-issued photo identification.

Q & A Administrative, technical, and contractual questions about the MATHBAC program should be emailed to MATHBAC@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 MATHBAC Proposers Day in all correspondence.

Technical Point of Contact: Yannis Kevrekidis, Program Manager, MATHBAC@darpa.mil

Registration Website: https://events.sa-meetings.com/MATHBACProposersDay

DARPA Opportunities Website: https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES

Attendance at the MATHBAC Proposers Day or viewing the webcast is voluntary and is not required to propose to the anticipated MATHBAC PA. 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 above. No classified, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controlled, or proprietary information shall be presented by the Government at Proposers Day. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in this Proposers Day. Recording Proposers Day is not permitted.

mailto:MATHBAC@darpa.mil mailto:MATHBAC@darpa.mil https://usg02.safelinks.protection.office365.us/?url=https://events.sa-meetings.com/MATHBACProposersDay&data=05%7C02%7Ckelly.gifford.ctr@darpa.mil%7Cacc3ffe3cfcf4feb156008de8e7f7a3b%7Cf84814b5f44e46909314553e36b5f585%7C0%7C0%7C639104875332093042%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ==%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=kmDuG07jpPbnvECWEMQYl+A5Q/ioaKCSwbA125Dvqkw=&reserved=0 https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

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/