MXO Pitch Day 2026
DARPA will fund short-term scientific discovery efforts that reduce technical uncertainty and support future DARPA program creation, with an emphasis on first-time DARPA performers including universities whose PI has not previously been a DARPA PI.
⚑ Federal contract solicitation / acquisition strategy rather than a grant. · Intended to encourage participation by non-traditional organizations and small businesses new to DARPA. · University eligibility is narrowed in practice to PIs who have not previously served as a PI under a DARPA-funded award. · Pitch Day is in-person on 2026-11-02 in Chicago, Illinois.
This is a DARPA basic-research pitch day in national security, AI, computing, and materials/manufacturing, which is far outside this team’s core portfolio of risk perception, climate/weather communication, and public response research. Even though it invites nontraditional university performers, there is no clear social-behavioral or policy-evaluation fit for this roster.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-07-07
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds basic research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topic: national_security_defense (primary); social/behavioral work is minor; funds basic research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
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.
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: . Notice type: Solicitation. Organization: DEPT OF DEFENSE / DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) / DEF ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGCY.
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Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Department of Defense (BAA-style) conventions SEE A DOD EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Department of Defense (BAA-style)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.