The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is moving upstream from cold-atom demos into the vacuum infrastructure those systems need to survive outside the lab. Perrseus is a new Multi X Office (MXO) program aimed at manufacturable, long-life microscale ultra-high vacuum (µUHV) packages for next-generation micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), photonic, and quantum sensors.
To kick off Perrseus, DARPA has issued a Special Notice and announced an in-person Proposers’ Day on July 17, 2026, with an expectation of releasing a Program Solicitation (PS) for Perrseus, potentially before the event. Proposers’ Day briefings and materials are intended to give enough detail for teams to start forming partnerships and concepts.
What Perrseus Is Trying to Build
The program is focused on building a new class of µUHV systems that:
- Maintain pressures below roughly 10⁻¹⁰ mbar
- Achieve lifetimes greater than three years
- Fit within packages smaller than about 5 mL
- Integrate active/passive pumping and on‑board vacuum metrology
Perrseus is structured as a 42-month, two-phase prototype effort. Phase 1 focuses on process development, component integration, initial form factor, and de-risking manufacturing and packaging. Phase 2 focuses on delivery of test-ready prototype units and a defined manufacturing process that can support >3-year lifetimes.
DARPA explicitly calls out challenges around permeable materials, leaky bonds and seals, hermetic electrical/optical interconnects, limited‑capacity miniature pumps, and the lack of robust in‑situ vacuum metrology in these tiny packages.
Teams are expected to move beyond process research and deliver integrated hardware that demonstrates operational utility in a relevant environment, with a clear path to manufacturability.
Proposers’ Day At-A-Glance
Proposers’ Day will take place on July 17, 2028, from 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM ET at the DARPA Conference Center (DCC) in Arlington, Virginia. The agenda includes technical briefings, a poster session, and optional 10-miniute one-on-one sessions with the Program Manager.
The Proposers’ Day is open only to registered potential proposers. All attendees must submit their event registration and eForm 104 by July 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET.
Who Should Pay Attention
Perrseus sits at the intersection of quantum sensing, microfabrication, and advanced packaging. The program is not about full end-to-end navigation systems or finished field products. It’s about the µUHV infrastructure that makes high-performance microscale sensors viable in the first place.
Teams that are likely to be competitive will be able to:
- Build microscale vacuum packages or hermetic seals across dissimilar materials
- Develop integrated miniature pumps, getters, or advanced vacuum materials
- Integrate cold-atom or atomic sensors that need long‑life µUHV in tiny volumes
- Design and implement embedded metrology for pressure, leaks, and pump performance inside sealed packages
For many potential performers, that implies teaming.
From a federal perspective, the most compelling teams will show credible paths from process development to integrated µUHV prototypes, with clear thinking about manufacturability, lifetime, and fieldable performance.
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 program, schedule a conversation with our team.
