ONHS Report: DARPA-SN-26-73

2026 MXO Spark Tank Special Notice

Solicitation ID: DARPA-SN-26-73

Agency: DARPA/MXO

Type: Special Notice

Deadline: 2026-10-18T23:59:00 ET

Eligibility: Maybe (Conditional)

Funding: N/A

Doc Type: PS

Clearance: No

Program Manager: Dr. Jonathan Hoffman

Last Updated: 2026-06-04 16:05

Analyzed File: DARPA-SN-26-73.pdf

Eligibility Reasoning

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), and Government Entities are discouraged from attending this event.

Note: This is an AI-generated summary...

Summary

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is hosting the Multi X Office (MXO) Spark Tank event from November 2-4, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. This in-person event is for prospective proposers and collaborators to learn about MXO's mission and engage with Program Managers (PMs) through presentations and optional 15-minute sidebar meetings. The MXO's technical focus is on disruptive, multi-scale innovations across three main thrusts: 1) 'Materials and components to expand foundations,' focusing on beyond-CMOS technologies for resilient systems; 2) 'Tools and processes for indigenous development,' aiming to strengthen domestic supply chains and manufacturing; and 3) 'New modalities to achieve mission effects,' exploring non-electronic and hybrid approaches for sensing, computing, and communication. Specific PM interests include quantum sensing, unconventional computing, integrated photonics, advanced materials, molecular engineering, and cyber security, with an emphasis on paradigm-shifting, non-evolutionary concepts. To attend, advance registration is required by October 18, 2026, which includes submitting a 500-word 'Capability Summary' used to coordinate sidebar meetings.

Overall Technical Areas

Quantum Sensor ManufacturingIntegrated Quantum PhotonicsUnconventional Computing HardwareAlgorithm-Hardware Co-DesignMultiphysical MicrosystemsAdvanced Semiconductor HeterostructuresMolecular Engineering & MicrosystemsRadiation-Hardened ElectronicsNanoscale Additive ManufacturingEmbedded Systems CybersecurityPassive GPS-Free NavigationGenerative AI & SimulationUltrawide Bandgap MaterialsAdvanced Material SynthesisUntethered Robotics

Probable LBNL Areas

BSACSAEESAESAETAPSA

Focus Areas

Example Priorities:

MXO seeks to establish new technological beyond-CMOS foundations that enable systems to be resilient, secure, and resistant to adversarial attacks.
Develop and scale next-generation materials and component technologies that deliver system-level assurance.
Advanced semiconductor heterostructures, especially those relying on nonequilibrium transport.
Electronic, optoelectronic, and acoustic applications of ultrawide bandgap materials and devices.
Natively radiation-hardened compute and memory.
Organic platforms for high performance devices and systems.

Specific Technical Skills:

Materials ScienceBeyond-CMOS TechnologiesSemiconductor PhysicsMicroelectronicsSystem SecurityHardware AssuranceUltrawide Bandgap MaterialsRadiation HardeningOrganic ElectronicsDevice Physics

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Sayeef Salahuddin	0.72	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Ran Cheng	0.71
Daryl Chrzan	0.71	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Carolin Sutter-Fella	0.70	ESA \| MF \| MF Inorganic Facility
Junqiao Wu	0.70	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Tara Mishra	0.70	ESA \| MF \| MF NCEM Facility
Alp Sipahigil	0.70	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Zhao Hao	0.70	EESA \| EG \| Geochemistry Dept
Jeffrey Urban	0.70	ESA \| MF \| MF Inorganic Facility
Patrick Huck	0.70	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics

Example Priorities:

Advancing new tools, processes, and capabilities that support domestic development, create entirely new and indigenous supply chains, and/or reduce reliance on vulnerable supply chains.
Enable the United States to design, build, and scale critical technologies at home.
The intersection of molecular engineering and bottom-up manufacturing to enable 3D fabrication at scale.
Multi-material expansion of nanoscale additive manufacturing.
Breakthrough chemical processing technologies.
New algorithms and processes for 3D microsystem design and fabrication.

Specific Technical Skills:

Advanced ManufacturingProcess EngineeringSupply Chain ResilienceAdditive ManufacturingMolecular EngineeringNanofabrication3D Microsystem DesignChemical EngineeringRobotic AssemblyLogistics Technology

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Peng Peng	0.70	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Prakash Rao	0.69	ETA \| Building Tech. & Urban Sys. \| Bldg & Industrial App Dpt
Guoying Chen	0.69	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt
Jeffrey Urban	0.69	ESA \| MF \| MF Inorganic Facility
Costas P. Grigoropoulos	0.69	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt
Jennifer Stokes-Draut	0.69	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Bryan Mccloskey	0.69	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt
Blake Simmons	0.69	BSA \| Biological Systems & Engineering \| Biodesign Dept
Thomas Hendrickson	0.69	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept
Xiong Peng	0.69	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt

Example Priorities:

Expand the range of technological modalities available to deliver mission effects in ways that are more resilient to current and emerging vulnerabilities.
More performant devices that leverage new underlying physics, hybrid approaches that exploit the strengths of electronics and non-electronics.
New methods for quantum sensor manufacturing that enable scaled integration, and sensing and photonics that leverage quantum enhancement.
Fundamentally rethinking the computing stack through the tight co-design of unconventional hardware and novel algorithms.
Multiphysical microsystems exploiting couplings between optics, acoustics, radio frequency/microwave, etc.
Methods for all-weather high-data-rate optical communications, as well as methods for passive, GPS-free navigation.

Specific Technical Skills:

Quantum SensingIntegrated PhotonicsUnconventional ComputingNon-linear OpticsMultiphysics ModelingMicrosystems EngineeringHybrid SystemsOptical CommunicationsAlternative PNTAcoustic Engineering

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Alp Sipahigil	0.73	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Zhao Hao	0.72	EESA \| EG \| Geochemistry Dept
Linqing Luo	0.72	EESA \| EG \| Geophysics Dept
Boubacar Kante	0.72	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Kaushalya Jhuria	0.71	PSA \| ATAP \| FS&IBT
Wei Liu	0.71	PSA \| ATAP \| BACI
Meriam Gay Bautista-Jurney	0.71	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Ran Cheng	0.70
Hendrik Utzat	0.70	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics
Siyun Chen	0.70	PSA \| ATAP \| BELLA Center

Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)

Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.

Name	Score	Organization
Kin Yu	0.78	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Advanced Semiconductor Heterostructures
Lane Martin	0.78	· Advanced Material Synthesis
Marina Radulaski	0.77	ESA \| MF \| MF Nanofabrication Facility · Integrated Quantum Photonics
Luisa Gonzalez	0.77	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Unconventional Computing Hardware
Zakaria Al Balushi	0.77	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Ultrawide Bandgap Materials
Angelos Ioannou	0.76	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Algorithm-Hardware Co-Design
Dongwoo Paeng	0.75	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Nanoscale Additive Manufacturing
Aikaterini Papadopoulou	0.75	PSA \| Engineering \| Electronic Engineering · Radiation-Hardened Electronics
Zachary Jones	0.74	BSA \| Biological Systems & Engineering \| Process Engr & Analytics · Molecular Engineering & Microsystems
Simo Makiharju	0.73	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Multiphysical Microsystems

Fundamental Research Exemption (FRE)

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