DARPA MTO (Microsystems Technology Office): Now MXO, and How to Engage

DARPA MTO, the Microsystems Technology Office, no longer operates under that name. DARPA expanded it into the Multi X Office (MXO), and the office pages that used to describe MTO now describe MXO. A research office searching for “DARPA Microsystems Technology Office” should therefore look for MXO opportunities, and this guide explains what changed and how a university engages. Everything below is as described on the official DARPA pages on 2026-10-29.

What it is and who runs it

MTO is now MXO. DARPA’s MXO page states that the office is “built on decades of breakthroughs pioneered by DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office” and carries that legacy forward. The MXO FAQ gives the reason for the rename: the office focus “has expanded beyond traditional micro-scale technologies and microsystems” to address more complex national security challenges, which calls for a closely integrated multidisciplinary scope that the previous name no longer represented.

What MXO stands for

MXO stands for the Multi X Office. The FAQ says “X is not a variable; it’s a multiplier. Across scale, across physics, across operational impact.” DARPA describes the office as multi-scale (atomic and cellular up to systems level), multi-disciplinary and multi-domain.

Mission and thrust areas

MXO’s stated mission is to disrupt how technology is developed and used by applying the physical sciences to deliver novel, mission-relevant capabilities. The office page lists three thrust areas:

• Materials and Components to Expand the Foundation: new foundations beyond CMOS-centric hardware that support resilient, secure and attack-resistant systems, and the scalable production of that hardware.
• Tools and Processes for Indigenous Development: tools, processes and material supply chains that enable domestic development and reduce reliance on vulnerable supply chains.
• New Modalities to Achieve Mission Effects: approaches to sensing, orienting, computing and communicating that do not rely solely on traditional electronics, including devices using new physics and hybrid electronic and non-electronic approaches.

The FAQ adds that the rename “reflects a shift from advancing individual technology thrusts to shaping the architectures that connect them.” DARPA describes its agency mission as “to create and prevent technological surprise for national security.” For the wider agency picture, see the CASRAI guide to the DoD research funding landscape.

Eligibility (summary, with the official source)

The MXO office page does not set a single eligibility rule; eligibility for a given effort is set in the solicitation text. For the office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), that is the BAA itself, listed on SAM.gov as DARPA-PS-26-115. DARPA’s academia page (darpa.mil/work-with-us/for-universities) describes two university-facing entry points with their own stated criteria:

• Young Faculty Award (YFA): each year DARPA invites junior faculty at U.S. academic and nonprofit research institutions to apply.
• Innovation Fellowship: open to scientists, engineers and mathematicians who completed their doctorate within the last five years; in exceptional cases DARPA also considers candidates with bachelor’s or master’s degrees in STEM programs.

The MXO FAQ also says many existing performers will continue to play a critical role and that the performer community is expanding, so the rename is not a signal that previous MTO performers are excluded.

What it funds or requires

MXO prioritizes breakthroughs that enable fundamentally new capabilities; the office page says incremental improvements to the current state of the art “need not apply.” The FAQ draws the line as follows: if a technology changes how systems are fundamentally built, integrated or controlled, it is in scope; if it only improves performance within an existing paradigm, it is out. The FAQ also says MXO is less focused on basic science for its own sake and more on foundational technologies that can redefine existing constraints.

Examples the FAQ gives of areas generally outside MXO’s scope:

• Pure software or application-layer AI
• Standalone operational platforms
• Basic science without a clear technology transition path
• Clinical or human-performance biotechnology
• Incremental advances along established roadmaps

Asked whether MXO uses different evaluation criteria than MTO, the FAQ answers no. Research areas that touch materials and devices overlap with topics in the nanotechnology guide, but fit is judged against the thrust areas above, not the discipline label.

Application or compliance steps

DARPA’s academia page lists contracts, grants and other opportunities, including BAAs, Requests for Proposals and Requests for Information, and recommends attending a Proposers Day as the best way to meet program managers. For MXO, the practical sequence is:

1. Read the office-wide BAA. MXO’s page lists DARPA-PS-26-115, “Office-wide BAA: MXO,” published May 20, 2026 with a deadline of June 4, 2027. Check the current text on SAM.gov before relying on these dates.
2. Use Ideas Under Incubation. DARPA describes this as the stage before an idea becomes a program, when program managers talk to experts and potential transition partners. The MXO page lists current examples (skyrmion-based magnetic memory, Circuits On Demand, Three Dimensional Microsystems) and directs readers to the listed program manager.
3. Prepare for the Contract Management Office. DARPA’s Contract Management Office provides instructions for proposers on general terms and conditions, grants and agreements, procurement contracts and other transactions. Sponsored-programs staff should read these before a proposal is submitted. The CASRAI guide to open BAAs and abstract-first solicitations shows how a similar office-wide BAA works at another agency.

MXO also runs events: the office page lists Spark Tank (Nov. 2-4, 2026, Chicago) and Pitch Day (Nov. 2, 2026, Chicago).

Typical timeline phases

DARPA publishes no fixed calendar for MXO proposals beyond the BAA window above, so plan by phase rather than by date:

1. Idea shaping and contact with a program manager (Ideas Under Incubation, Proposers Day, events).
2. Submission under the office-wide BAA or a program-specific solicitation, while the BAA is open.
3. Review. The academia page says that after a review process DARPA selects the winning proposal and notifies applicants.
4. Award and contract signing, which the Contract Management Office works through with awardees.

Common mistakes

• Searching only for “MTO”. The opportunities page lists the office as “Multi X”; there is no separate MTO entry.
• Proposing an incremental improvement. The office page says these need not apply.
• Proposing in an out-of-scope area such as pure software, a standalone platform or clinical biotechnology (see the FAQ list above).
• Treating a basic-science idea as sufficient. The FAQ says basic science without a clear technology transition path is generally outside scope.

Related programs

For other defense young-investigator and agency mechanisms, compare ONR YIP, the AFOSR YIP versus DOE ECRP comparison and the NIH versus DoD grant requirements comparison.

Program	What the official page says
MXO office-wide BAA (DARPA-PS-26-115)	Published May 20, 2026; deadline June 4, 2027; listed on SAM.gov.
Ideas Under Incubation	Pre-program stage in which program managers gather outside input; contact the listed program manager.
Young Faculty Award	Annual invitation to junior faculty at U.S. academic and nonprofit research institutions.
Innovation Fellowship	Early-career scientists, engineers and mathematicians with a doctorate completed within the last five years (exceptions for STEM bachelor’s or master’s candidates).

FAQ

What is DARPA MTO?

MTO was DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office. DARPA has since expanded it into the Multi X Office (MXO), which describes itself as built on MTO’s legacy.

Why did the office name change?

According to the MXO FAQ, the office’s focus expanded beyond traditional micro-scale technologies and microsystems, and the new name matches the broader, integrated scope.

Does MXO evaluate ideas differently than MTO?

No. The MXO FAQ answers “No” when asked whether MXO has different evaluation criteria than MTO.

What does MXO not fund?

The FAQ lists pure software or application-layer AI, standalone operational platforms, basic science without a transition path, clinical or human-performance biotechnology and incremental advances along established roadmaps as generally outside scope.

Where do I find the current MXO solicitation?

The MXO page lists the office-wide BAA as DARPA-PS-26-115; the full text is on SAM.gov.

Sources

• DARPA, Multi X Office (MXO): darpa.mil/about/offices/mxo, checked 2026-10-29.
• DARPA, MXO FAQ: darpa.mil/about/offices/mxo/faq, checked 2026-10-29.
• DARPA, Academia (work with us): darpa.mil/work-with-us/for-universities, checked 2026-10-29.
• DARPA, Opportunities: darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities, checked 2026-10-29.