MXO Pitch Day 2026

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.