Inside DARPA’s Multi X Office, where connections spark across domains

DARPA’s newest technology office will make its first public outreach push this fall, bringing a three-day “MXO Spark Tank” event to Chicago from Nov. 2–4, 2026, alongside an invitation-only Pitch Day on Nov. 2 aimed at seeding exploratory projects.

The Multi X Office (MXO), created in May as the successor to DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office, was set up to widen the aperture beyond traditional microsystems. MXO is emphasizing multi-scale, cross-disciplinary research that applies the physical sciences in unconventional ways to generate capabilities with potential military and economic impact.

Spark Tank is designed for prospective proposers, future collaborators, and other innovators who want to understand how to work with MXO. According to DARPA, attendees can expect briefings on the office’s scope and research thrusts; one-on-one meetings with program managers to assess alignment and teaming opportunities; and guidance on contracting pathways and other entry points.

Registration opens Aug. 10, 2026, with details available on the event website and SAM.gov. The deadline to register for Spark Tank is Oct. 18.

Running in parallel, MXO’s Pitch Day will give selected teams a chance to present directly to program managers for possible seed funding. Participation is by invitation; to be considered, teams must submit a short abstract describing a concept that fits one of MXO’s current focus areas. Submission instructions and formatting requirements are outlined in a solicitation on SAM.gov.

MXO’s initial technical priorities include:
– Pushing beyond conventional electronics by advancing non-electronic and hybrid physical approaches—such as optical, quantum, organic, or acoustic devices—to leap ahead in sensing and communications beyond today’s radio-frequency systems.
– Building foundations that outperform individual components by enabling technologies to operate—and even excel—in extreme environments. Priorities include greater automation, endurance, and survivability for uncrewed platforms, as well as methods to manufacture and sustain systems using locally available resources.
– Creating materials with properties not found in nature or current practice, including programmable behaviors, embedded autonomous resilience, and novel, engineered functionalities.

Abstracts for Pitch Day are due July 29, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET. DARPA anticipates notifying invitees by Sept. 4. Pitch Day takes place Nov. 2 in Chicago, with Spark Tank running Nov. 2–4.

“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, 1 p.m. ET: Pitch Day abstract deadline
– Aug. 10: Spark Tank registration opens
– Sept. 4 (anticipated): Pitch Day invitations sent
– Oct. 18: Spark Tank registration closes
– Nov. 2: Pitch Day
– Nov. 2–4: Spark Tank in Chicago

More information, including registration and submission links, is available on the event website and via SAM.gov. For questions, DARPA lists contacts for MXO Spark Tank and MXO Pitch Day, and offers a subscription newsletter, Forward Dispatch, for updates on research opportunities and events.