MXO Office-Wide QA v2

DARPA-PS-26-115: Multi X Office (MXO) Office-wide Innovative Solutions Opening Question and Answer (Q&A)
Version 02
Amended as of September 23, 2026
Q1. How do I gauge MXO’s interest in my idea prior to submitting an abstract? A1. Potential proposers are encouraged to visit our website at https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/mxo, where you can find our Program Managers (PMs) and their current Ideas Under Incubation. Potential proposers may reach out to PMs directly from their profiles to gauge their interest in a particular groundbreaking concept or discovery solution prior to submitting. Proposers are advised that MXO PMs are not permitted to help with the crafting of ideas or abstracts; further, MXO PMs will not direct proposers to submit an abstract.
Q2. Would a startup-led team with a National Laboratory collaborator (subrecepient) be considered an appropriate team structure under this solicitation? A2. FFRDCs, UARCs, and Government Entities, to include National Laboratories, are permitted to participate, but proposers are cautioned to review section 3.1 of the solicitation for specific eligibility and proposal requirements associated with these entities.
Q3. Are there any general expectations regarding technology maturity or preferred Technical Readiness Level (TRL) range for concepts submitted through this Innovative Solutions Opening?
A3. Under this solicitation MXO seeks to develop high-risk, high-reward technologies and proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, components, or systems. This should be interpreted to align with TRL 2–5.
Q4. For efforts involving National Laboratory participation, are there any considerations or best practices regarding scope allocation, funding structure, or collaboration arrangements that proposers should be aware of during the abstract stage? A4. At the abstract stage, the Capabilities/Management Plan section of the abstract is where proposers must articulate the full details of their intended team structure, to include any participation by FFRDCs, UARCs, or Government Entities. Q5. Would the following types of collaboration with National Laboratories be permissible, provided the National Laboratory does not receive DARPA funding: building upon National Laboratory technology, utilizing National Laboratory IP through a licensing

agreement, or conducting technical interactions or validation through a non-DARPAfunded mechanism (e.g., CRADA, Work-for-Others, or user facility access)?