MXO Pitch Day 2026
Closed Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- DARPA-PA-26-07
- Agency
-
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Department of Defense
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Points of contact
-
- Pitch Day Coordinator mxo_pitchday@darpa.mil
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency seeks revolutionary discovery solutions in three thrust areas—a world beyond electronics, foundations beyond components, and materials beyond nature and current synthetic practice—with abstract submissions due July 29, 2026, and questions due July 15. This is a restricted solicitation limited to non-traditional defense contractors without prior DARPA prime awards and universities whose proposed Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators have not previously served in those roles on DARPA-funded awards.
The procurement operates as a two-stage process. Organizations submit unclassified abstracts of up to five pages by July 29; selected applicants receive feedback by September 4 and are invited to pitch in-person on November 2, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois, with award selections announced by November 4. Awards will be issued under Other Transaction authority (10 U.S.C. 4021) for efforts not exceeding twelve months and $500,000 total cost, covering labor, materials, equipment, other direct costs, and reasonable profit only—travel costs, publication costs, and subawards are prohibited. Multiple awards are anticipated.
Eligible proposers must maintain valid CMMC Level 1 (Self) certification status and possess an active CAGE code. Subcontractors and consultants are prohibited; all work must be performed by the prime organization. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, University Affiliated Research Centers, and government entities are ineligible. Each organization may submit up to three abstracts, provided each identifies a different Principal Investigator, technical team, and distinct technical approach.
Abstracts are evaluated on problem definition and understanding of current state of the art, potential to catalyze future research efforts, and team vision, expertise, and experience. The Government receives a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use intellectual property. Proposers must disclose use of artificial intelligence tools in proposal development and cite specific AI tools used for content generation. The NAICS code is 541715.
Notice text
2 versions
Update #2 · Latest ·
DARPA’s MXO will host a Pitch Day for engagement with prospective proposers and to catalyze future efforts in the thrust areas listed within the solicitation. MXO Pitch Day will be hosted on November 2, 2026, in-person, in Chicago, Illinois. This Program Announcement DARPA-PA-26-07 constitutes the MXO Pitch Day solicitation.
The goals of the MXO Pitch Day 2026 are to: 1) fund scientific discovery solutions for short-term efforts with the intent to advance scientific understanding, generate new concepts or methods, reduce technical uncertainty, and potential to catalyze future research efforts, and 2) employ an acquisition strategy to encourage participation by non-traditional organizations and small businesses that have not previously received a DARPA-funded award as prime performers and university teams whose Principal Investigators (PI) and Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PI) have not previously served as a PI or Co-PI under a DARPA-funded award. MXO Pitch Day 2026 aims to broaden DARPA’s goals to break down barriers of entry for performers new to DARPA and the national security space.
Update #1 ·
DARPA’s MXO will host a Pitch Day for engagement with prospective proposers and to catalyze future efforts in the thrust areas listed within the solicitation. MXO Pitch Day will be hosted on November 2, 2026, in-person, in Chicago, Illinois. This Program Announcement DARPA-PA-26-07 constitutes the MXO Pitch Day solicitation.
The goals of the MXO Pitch Day are to: 1) fund scientific discovery solutions for short-term efforts with the intent to advance scientific understanding, generate new concepts or methods, reduce technical uncertainty, and create future groundbreaking DARPA programs, and 2) employ an acquisition strategy to encourage participation by non-traditional organizations and small businesses that have not previously received a DARPA-funded award as a prime performer and universities whose Principal Investigator has not previously served as a Principal Investigator under a DARPA-funded award. This funding opportunity will aim to broaden DARPA’s reach to break down barriers of entry for performers new to DARPA and the national security space.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| DARPA-PS-26-07_Pitch_Day_QA_v1.1.pdf | ||
| DARPA-PS-26-07_Pitch_Day_QA_v1.pdf | ||
| DARPA-PA-26-07-Amendment-01.pdf | ||
| Attachment_B_DARPA_BAAT_Submission_Portal_Guide.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment_A_MXO-PitchDay_Abstract_Template.docx | DOCX document | |
| DARPA-PA-26-07.pdf |
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