DARPA MXO Office-wide ISO (DARPA-PS-26-115)

Status: Open. Abstracts accepted on a rolling basis until April 23, 2027, 4:00 p.m. ET. Full proposals by DARPA invitation only. Updated October 30, 2026.

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Executive Summary

DARPA, the Pentagon's research agency, funds breakthrough technology for national security. Its Multi X Office (MXO) is the expansion of DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). MXO's office-wide Innovative Solutions Opening (DARPA-PS-26-115) is a standing open call for revolutionary ideas that no current MXO program or other DARPA solicitation covers.

Every award starts with an abstract submitted through DARPA's BAA Tool (BAAT). DARPA invites a full written or oral proposal only if the abstract fits, and a proposal sent without an abstract and an invitation will not be reviewed. Abstracts are accepted on a rolling basis until April 23, 2027, 4:00 p.m. ET.

Solicitation at a Glance

• Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Multi X Office (MXO)
• Opportunity: MXO Office-wide Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO), a long-term open call
• Number: DARPA-PS-26-115 (posted May 20, 2026; Amendment 01 September 18, 2026)
• Award Vehicle: Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) and Experimental Transaction Agreements (ETAs)
• Funding: Multiple awards anticipated. No program total or award size is published
• Technology Maturity: High-risk, high-reward research; short exploratory projects such as analytical studies or proof-of-concept experiments get priority
• Due Date: Abstracts rolling until April 23, 2027, 4:00 p.m. ET. Proposals by invitation only until the June 4, 2027 closing date

Think your company qualifies? Talk with BW&CO before you write your abstract.

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What Is the MXO Office-wide ISO?

MXO explores materials at the atomic, molecular and cellular scales to develop new components, tools and processes. The office-wide Innovative Solutions Opening is MXO's door for ideas that do not fit one of its current programs. It is a long-term open call: DARPA reviews abstracts as they arrive and may rotate the thrust areas through amendments.

What Problem Is DARPA Trying to Solve?

MXO wants to disrupt how technology is developed and used by using physical sciences in unconventional ways, with multi-scale and multi-disciplinary innovations that serve multiple functions and domains. It also aims to leverage commercial technologies. DARPA states that research that mainly produces evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice is excluded.

Priority Capability Areas: What MXO Is Looking For

• Thrust 1, Materials and components to expand the foundation: New beyond-CMOS materials, devices and integration that make systems resilient, secure and resistant to attack, and that can be produced at scale.
• Thrust 2, Tools and processes for indigenous development: New tools, processes and material supply chains that support domestic development, create new U.S. supply chains or reduce reliance on vulnerable ones.
• Thrust 3, New modalities to achieve mission effects: New ways to sense, orient, compute and communicate, including devices based on new physics and hybrids of electronic and non-electronic approaches.
• Out of scope: Research involving human or animal subjects.

Funding and Award Terms

• Instruments: OTAs and ETAs, flexible agreements outside standard federal contracting rules.
• Amounts: None published. DARPA anticipates multiple awards. The abstract includes a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost of no more than half a page.
• Cybersecurity: At least CMMC Level 1 (self-assessment), a basic Defense Department cybersecurity certification, for all performers; up to Level 2 when the work involves controlled unclassified information (CUI).

Eligibility Requirements and Participation

• Who is eligible: All responsible sources, U.S. and non-U.S., subject to export control and security rules. Small businesses are encouraged; nothing is set aside.
• Labs and research centers: FFRDCs, UARCs and national labs may participate under the rules in Section 3.1 of the solicitation.
• Already funded ideas: Work already funded by DARPA or another government agency is not eligible.

How to Submit

• Check what is already funded: Review MXO's current programs and its Ideas Under Incubation so the idea is new to the office.
• Talk to a program manager (optional): MXO encourages contact about research interests, but program managers cannot help write abstracts.
• Submit the abstract: Use the solicitation's abstract template in BAAT and include a half-page ROM cost.
• Respond to an invitation: If invited, submit a written or oral proposal as instructed in the invitation.

What Happens After You Submit?

• Abstract review: DARPA reviews the abstract and either invites a proposal or declines.
• Proposal evaluation: Invited proposals are judged on technical concept, potential to reach the goals, scientific and technical merit, relevance to DARPA's mission and transition plans, and realistic cost.
• Award: DARPA may negotiate an OTA or ETA with selected proposers.

Is This Opportunity a Good Fit for Your Company?

The MXO ISO fits semiconductor and advanced materials startups, photonics and quantum sensing companies, chip packaging and manufacturing equipment makers, critical minerals and supply chain technology companies, and teams building new computing or communications hardware. It fits teams with a revolutionary idea that no current DARPA program covers. Teams with an incremental improvement or an idea already funded elsewhere should look at other routes, such as SBIR/STTR topics or a specific MXO program solicitation.

How BW&CO Can Help

BW&CO has helped deep-tech and dual-use founders secure more than $350M in non-dilutive funding. For open DARPA calls like the MXO ISO, we help you:

• Map your technology: Match your work to the right MXO thrust and check it against current programs.
• Write the abstract: Make the revolutionary case clearly and attach a credible ROM cost.
• Prepare compliance items: Plan for CMMC, export control and OTA terms before an invitation arrives.
• Build the full proposal: Turn an invited abstract into a written or oral proposal.
• Plan a sequence: Line up related DARPA, SBIR and agency opportunities.

Plan Your MXO Abstract

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the MXO ISO due?

Abstracts are accepted on a rolling basis until April 23, 2027, 4:00 p.m. ET. The solicitation closes June 4, 2027.

Can I send a full proposal directly?

No. A proposal is reviewed only after you submit an abstract and receive a written DARPA invitation.

How much funding is available?

DARPA publishes no total or award size. Multiple awards are anticipated.

What award types are used?

Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) and Experimental Transaction Agreements (ETAs).

Is MXO the same as MTO?

MXO is the expansion of DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office into the Multi X Office, with a broader scope.

Who is eligible?

Any responsible source, U.S. or non-U.S., subject to export control and security rules and the FFRDC/UARC rules in Section 3.1.

What is out of scope?

Evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice, ideas covered by current MXO programs or other DARPA solicitations, and research with human or animal subjects.

What cybersecurity level is required?

CMMC Level 1 (self-assessment) at minimum, and up to Level 2 when the work involves CUI.

Can BW&CO help with an MXO abstract?

Yes. BW&CO can help you match your idea to an MXO thrust, write a focused abstract with a credible ROM cost and prepare a full proposal if DARPA invites one. Book a call with our team.

Source: SAM.gov: DARPA-PS-26-115 MXO Office-wide Innovative Solutions Opening; DARPA Multi X Office