The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through its Biological Technologies Office (BTO), is hosting a Firefox Proposers Day in support of a planned Firefox Program Solicitation. Firefox seeks to advance coherent optical technologies that could enable a scalable, noninvasive brain-computer interface, or BCI, with single-neuron spatiotemporal resolution.
The Special Notice is not yet a request for proposals. It gives potential performers an early view of the program and a chance to hear directly from DARPA, explore teaming, and engage with the Firefox program team before a future solicitation is released.
Registration is free, but space is limited. Organizations interested in attending should coordinate internally and register early.
What is the DARPA Firefox Program?
Firefox builds on DARPA-supported work in coherent optical sensing through turbid media. The program aims to expand that approach by scanning a short-coherence optical source across a volume of tissue and processing the coherently mixed object and reference beams in the analog domain.
DARPA’s longer-term goal is to demonstrate and de-risk the pathway to a high-channel, noninvasive BCI with single-neuron resolution, reducing reliance on surgically implanted electrodes used in many current BCI systems.
Firefox is planned as a 36-month effort with three 12-month phases across two technical areas:
Technical Area 1, or TA1: Expansive scanning or rastering of a coherent optical beam through tissue. Potential technical approaches may include spatial light modulators, microelectromechanical systems, and Risley prisms.
Technical Area 2, or TA2: Analog data-processing architectures for coherently mixed signals. Potential approaches may include all-optical photonic computing, in-sensor computing, or neuromorphic photonic computing.
DARPA expects the work to require expertise in areas such as laser physics, coherent optical sensing, beam steering, wavefront engineering, adaptive optics, and optical or photonic data processing. Neuroscience and BCI expertise may be valuable, but DARPA states it is not required.
What to Expect at Firefox Proposers Day
The event will include Firefox program overviews from DARPA personnel and an information session with the DARPA Program Manager and Contracting Officer. The stated goals are to explain the program vision, objectives, and milestones; improve proposal preparation and evaluation efficiency; and promote teaming among organizations with complementary capabilities.
Attendance is not required to submit to a future Firefox solicitation or to receive an award. DARPA plans to make information presented during the event available on its BTO opportunities page.
DARPA will accept up to 30 poster submissions on a first-come, first-served basis. Poster files are due to [email protected] by 5:00 PM EDT on Sept. 15, 2026. Participants can also request 8-minute meetings with the Program Manager and/or DARPA team during registration, offered on a first-come, first-served basis during Proposers Day.
Who Should Attend Firefox Proposers Day
Firefox is especially relevant for organizations with technologies or capabilities in:
Coherent optical sensing and interferometry
Beam steering and wavefront engineering
Adaptive optics
Laser physics and photonics
Analog signal processing
All-optical, in-sensor, or neuromorphic photonic computing
Optical hardware, software models, and testable prototypes for noninvasive neural sensing
DARPA strongly encourages participation from nontraditional performers, including small businesses, academic and research institutions, and first-time government contractors.
Preparing for Firefox Proposers Day
This is an early-stage market-engagement opportunity, not a solicitation. The immediate priority is not drafting a proposal. It is determining whether your technical capability can credibly address one or both Firefox technical areas and whether you need partners to fill gaps in optics, photonics, hardware development, systems integration, or BCI translation.
For teams pursuing the opportunity, the best use of Proposers Day is to validate fit with DARPA’s intended technical direction, sharpen the technical narrative, and form the right team before the planned Program Solicitation is released.
EverGlade is a national advisory firm helping innovators navigate the federal funding ecosystem. We support companies across the funding lifecycle, from early-stage strategy through proposal development, negotiations, and post-award execution, ensuring you win the award and deliver the program.
For additional information on where your capabilities could plug into this emerging program, schedule a conversation with our team.
