Summary - MXO Spark Tank

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will host the Multi X Office (MXO) Spark Tank event for prospective proposers on November 2-4, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. Advance registration is required. Registration will open on August 10, 2026. There will be no on-site registration. This event will be hosted in-person only. The event will include overview presentations by DARPA personnel, including MXO Program Managers, and an opportunity for 1:1 engagement with MXO Program Managers and MXO Leadership via sidebar meetings. After the event, presented materials may be posted to https://www.darpa.mil/research#research-opportunities.

The goals of MXO Spark Tank are to:

(1) familiarize participants with MXO’s mission, interest areas, and on-going efforts;
(2) facilitate discussions with potential proposers;
(3) increase the efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation; and
(4) to broaden DARPA’s reach with small businesses, educational institutions, and other non-traditional performers to break down barriers of entry for performers new to DARPA and the national security space.

This meeting will be held at the Unclassified level. All attendees are required to present government‐issued photo identification upon entry to the event. The MXO Spark Tank event is open only to prospective MXO proposers and is closed to the general public and members of the media. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), and Government Entities are discouraged from attending this event.

DARPA’s Multi-X Office (MXO) launched in May 2026 with a mission to disrupt across scale and function to dominate militarily and economically. Building on the many technological successes of its predecessor office, MXO expands its scope to better address the increasingly complex challenges shaping U.S. national security and to uphold the Department of War’s technological edge.

Strategically, MXO aims to disrupt the development and use of technology by applying physical sciences broadly and in unconventional ways to deliver innovative capabilities. Technologically, this development requires multi-scale and multi-disciplinary innovations. Operationally, the MXO technology enables multi-function and multi-domain applications.

MXO explores materials at the atomic, molecular, and cellular scales to develop novel components, tools, and processes with the potential to reshape the battlespace and economies of the future. MXO plans to transition these advances into operational impact for the future and existing battlespace by propagating emerging technology to displace current capabilities. MXO proposes to further leverage commercial technologies and deliver asymmetric advantages for the existing battlespace.

As MXO evolves to address future technology challenges in this unprecedented era of advancement, the office is establishing an over the horizon strategy that focuses on three heretofore nascent thrusts, each focused on addressing key challenges towards MXO mission to dominate the ecology militarily and economically.

Thrust 1 - Materials and components to expand foundations:

Dominate the Foundation by developing advanced materials and devices and integrating into the systems that underpin superiority in the modern battlespace.

Thrust 2 - Tools and processes for indigenous development:

Command the Fight by creating component technologies for sensing, orienting, computing, and communicating, enabling decisive awareness, coordination, and control.

Thrust 3 - New modalities to achieve mission effects:

Impose Industrial Sovereignty by advancing indigenous processes, tools, and material supply chains that secure long-term economic resilience and national security

The MXO Spark Tank will be held in Chicago, Illinois on November 2-4, 2026 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, located at 540 North Michigan Avenue, (Driveway Entrance on 541 North Rush Street), Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60611. The registration fee is $450.00 for all attendees (standard and U.S. Military or U.S. Government Personnel). Attendance is open to individuals who are U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and foreign nationals. Registration is limited by the venue capacity (maximum of 500 participants); early registration is strongly recommended.

Registration will open on August 10, 2026. There will be no on‐site registration. Advance registration is required.

The registration fee includes the following meals provided at the event:

Monday, November 2: Reception
Tuesday, November 3: Breakfast, Morning/Afternoon Breaks, Lunch, Reception
Wednesday, November 4: Breakfast, Morning/Afternoon Breaks, Lunch

Please register no later than October 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Late registrations may be admitted from a waitlist after all pre-registered attendees are admitted, if room capacity allows. Note that late registration processing requires significant coordination and may not be completed in time to attend the MXO Spark Tank event. Cancellations or registration exchanges are allowed until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 18th. Cancellation requestions received after the deadline will not be accepted.

All meeting registrants who are not U.S. Citizens must complete and submit one of the following:

All U.S. Permanent Residents and Foreign Nationals not representing a foreign government must submit a DARPA Form 60 “U.S. Permanent Resident and Foreign National Visit Request”, which can be submitted via the following link: https://dtsn.darpa.mil/eform60/.
- Please enter the following information: DARPA POC: Whitney Mason; Start Date of Visit: November 2, 2026; End Date of Visit: November 4, 2026; Meeting Location: Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile; 540 North Michigan Avenue; Chicago, IL 60611. The Classification Level of Discussion is "UNCLASSIFIED." The Purpose of Visit/Topic for Discussion is "MXO Spark Tank." The deadline for visit requests is 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 18, 2026.
Foreign government personnel who are representing a foreign government in an official capacity must submit an official Foreign Visit Request (FVR) via their respective Embassy based in Washington, DC.

Failure to complete and submit the required forms prior to the October 18 registration deadline may result in the cancellation of existing registration.

Please contact SIDInternationalSecurity@darpa.mil for any further questions about the security process.

All attendees are required to submit a Capability Summary during the registration process, by the registration deadline specified in this announcement. The Capability Summary (500-word text-only limit, no graphics/images) must follow the format provided within the registration site. This summary shall be stated in the attendee’s own words and be a concise description of the core competencies of the entity (e.g., small business, research group, department, business unit, company, etc.) he or she represents. The summary should include research area(s) that are relevant to the interest(s) of the MXO Program Manager(s) with which sidebar requests are made. If applicable, describe accomplishments or ongoing work in this area within the previous five (5) years.

The Capability Summary should NOT propose new research topics, new project scoping, or solicitations of any kind for research funds from DARPA. The Capability Summaries will be used to inform current and future MXO program managers of available competencies for appropriate follow-up and/or apprise Justification and Approval documents for other than Full and Open Competition solicitations if appropriate. Capability Summaries will not be distributed outside of DARPA.

MXO Spark Tank attendees are advised that DARPA will not acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this Special Notice.

No classified, ITAR controlled, or proprietary information shall be included in submitted materials or presented or discussed at the MXO Spark Tank event.

Countdown to the Event