The Convergence program seeks to create an open-architecture pipeline for the design, development, and operation of deployable environmental biological sensors focused on priority Department of War (DoW) chemical threat agents. It will also ensure future rapid development and deployment of biological sensors against new threats.

The Convergence program seeks to: 

1. Enable standoff detection & identification of chemical threat agents using biosensors,
2. Design and test biosensors to meet the demands of the Defense lifecycle and its operational environments, and
3. Develop open-architecture, composable biosensor design approaches and an industrial pipeline to rapidly develop, build, & field deploy new biosensors.

Registration

There is no registration fee to attend this meeting.

Interested parties are encouraged to coordinate attendance internally within their organizations prior to registration. Attendance is limited to no more than three representatives per organization.

Attendees must register by Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time by clicking the "New Registration" button below.

Eligibility

The Convergence Industry Day will be conducted at the Controlled Unclassified Information level. All attendees accessing CUI agree to protect CUI in accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.48 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI) AND NIST Special Publication 800-171 Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations. All attendees will be required to present government- issued photo identification upon entry to the event.

All non-U.S government participants are required to complete DoD Mandatory Controlled Unclassified Information Training found at: https://securityawareness.dcsa.mil/cui/index.html and submit the training certificate upon registration prior to August 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time.

All U.S. Permanent Residents and Foreign Nationals must submit a DARPA eForm 60, except for foreign government personnel, who must submit only an Official Visit Request completed by their respective Embassy based in Washington, DC. eForm 60 submission instructions are provided on the registration website and in the registration confirmation email. All forms must be submitted no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Time on August 5, 2026 (note: this deadline is in advance of the registration deadline). Contact your Embassy staff for assistance in submitting the Official Visit Request.

Attendance

All attendees are required to submit DARPA eForm 104, which will verify their U.S. Persons status, in order to attend this Industry Day no later than Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern. Click here to complete the eForm 104. Instructions will also be included in your registration confirmation email.

Attendees will be required to present their government-issued ID upon arrival. Non-U.S. citizens must bring a passport and Permanent Resident Card (if applicable).

Lightning Talks

Attendees may be afforded the opportunity to give a brief (4-minute) oral presentation outlining their interests and capabilities. Talks will be limited to one per organization. Interested attendees are invited to submit one Adobe PDF slide (using this template) that summarizes their interests and capabilities. The purpose of these presentations is to facilitate teaming discussions among the attendees.

Upon registering, attendees must indicate whether they would like to give an oral presentation. Due to limited availability, DARPA does not guarantee that these requests will be fulfilled. Lightning talk submissions will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until time constraints are reached. It is the responsibility of the submitter to ensure that all information contained in the lightning talk is non-proprietary, unclassified, and otherwise acceptable for public release. Neither DARPA nor DoW exercise any responsibility for improper dissemination of the lightning talks. Lighting talks can be held up to the CUI level.

Lightning talk slides must be submitted no later than 4:00 PM ET on August 16, 2026.

• Unclassified submissions should be sent directly to Convergence@darpa.mil  
• For CUI, email Convergence@darpa.mil for instructions

One-on-one Meetings

During registration, attendees may sign up for a one-one-one with the Program Manager. Due to limited availability, DARPA does not guarantee that these requests will be fulfilled. One-on-ones will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis until time constraints are reached. 

One-on-ones can be held up to the TS//SCI level, depending on the clearance level of the attendees. It is the attendees’ responsibility to pass their clearance to DARPA prior to the event. Email Convergence@darpa.mil for instructions. Clearances must be sent by August 12, 2026. Attendees will not be presenting slides at the one-on-ones. DARPA will not be providing information above the CUI level.