DARPAConnect

National Contracts Management Association (NCMA) World Congress 2026

DARPA’S Contracts Management Office will present the topics below at the upcoming National Contracts Management Association (NCMA) World Congress 2026 in Orlando, Florida during the week of 26-29 July. NCMA is a professional organization dedicated to the field of contract management and acquisition. The NCMA World Congress 2026 offers a venue where Industry, academia, and Government collaborate to share best practices instructions, and discuss changes across the Government acquisition community. This event is an opportunity for DARPA Connect members to also hear more broadly from the acquisition community on topics of interest. Topic 1: OTs Creatively Pragmatic: A Practical Demonstration of Creative Acquisition Synopsis: This interactive session will move beyond theory and demonstrate how to leverage the full flexibility of Other Transaction (OT) authority. We will conduct a mock demonstration, walking participants through the entire OT lifecycle, from pre-solicitation and solicitation best practices to negotiation and award. This session will showcase how thoughtful program design directly informs effective solicitations, logical milestones, clear off-ramps, and forward-thinking intellectual property strategies. Attendees will leave with a pragmatic understanding of how DARPA creatively and effectively uses OTs to drive innovation. Topic 2: The Modern Acquirer's Toolkit: An Interactive Tour of Innovative Contracting Mechanisms Synopsis: Join us for a dynamic and hands-on exploration of the diverse contracting tools available to today's acquisition professionals. This interactive session will go beyond the standard panel format to showcase the practical application of various acquisition methods, including Rapid OTs, SBIR/STTR, and the ERIS Marketplace. Participants will engage in collaborative scenarios and gain a comprehensive understanding of how to select and utilize the right tool for the right situation to achieve mission success.

DARPA Lift Challenge

Be there while aviation history is made at a live drone experiment and competition! The DARPA Lift Challenge is a national competition to revolutionize heavy vertical-lift aviation. This is a free, outdoor event. It is open to the public Aug. 6-9, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in August 2026, the event taps into the core of American innovation: the ‘garage inventor’ spirit. DARPA invites the community to watch competitors demonstrate novel drone designs that are both lightweight and powerful. After months of development, teams representing established companies, startups, universities, and garage-innovators will assemble for a “chase the leader” competition. Drones weighing no more than 55 pounds will attempt to carry four times their weight (220 pounds) or more over a demanding 5-nautical-mile course. Those with the highest payload-to-weight ratios and novel designs will win $6.5 million in prizes. But it’s not just a prize competition – it's a catalyst for long-term growth and innovation across the American drone industry. Participants will play a critical role in advancing vertical lift technologies that will have far-reaching benefits for military missions and civilian needs.