Do you have an idea, problem space, or proposal that IETFers and IRTFers should hear about?

Do you want to propose IETF or IRTF work but aren’t sure if your idea is ready or who else will be interested?

Agenda requests are now being accepted for the Request for Conversation (HotRFC) lightning talk session. Presenters will have 4 minutes to make their case for conversations. Interested folks are invited to contact the presenter and continue the discussion after the session.

Goals include encouraging brainstorming conversations, helping new work proposers find collaborators, raising awareness of relevant work going on elsewhere, and promoting BarBoFs. Past HotRFC lightning talks have covered a broad range of purposes, including:

• Collaboration: proposals for new standards work or new research topics that haven't been discussed elsewhere, potentially relevant research that may be ready for the IETF.
• Notification: new topics on the agenda in a BOF or side meeting, especially cross-area IETF work.
• Enlightenment: updates on relevant technologies, industry advances that could affect IETF participants.

With strict time limits, concise talks will give viewers a sense of whether they’d like to know more and, importantly, provide coordinates on how to do so.

HotRFC is a place to start conversations, not to continue or relitigate ongoing working group debates. If a topic is already being discussed in a WG or RG, that work should stay in its existing process and venues. HotRFC is intended for new ideas, cross-cutting topics, and early-stage discussions that benefit from broader awareness and fresh input.

With the current hybrid IETF meeting format, we’re going to keep things simple and permit only live presentations, either on-site or remote via MeetEcho. Slides must be submitted in advance.

To request a slot, submit a short abstract to hotrfc@ietf.org no later than Friday, 17 July 2026, 2400 local meeting time that includes the following:
* Talk title
* Presenter, Affiliation, and whether you’ll be presenting in person or remotely
* Short topic abstract (topics should be IETF- or IRTF-related in some way)
* What you're looking for (education, collaborators, implementers, etc.)
* Information on where to learn more, how to contact those involved, participate in existing mailing lists and scheduled meetings, and/or relevant formal or side meetings.
* Any relevant drafts or helpful resources you’d like collaborators to look at

To provide slides, submit PPT or PDF to hotrfc@ietf.org no later than Saturday, 18 July 2026, 2400 local meeting time.

Talk abstracts and slides will be posted on the meeting agenda. The agenda will be updated as requests come in.

The session will be on Sunday, 19 July 2026, at 1800 local IETF meeting time

• All talks will be presented live, whether in-person or via MeetEcho.
• Video of the session will be recorded for later viewing.

We hope you’ll tune in!

-- the HotRFC team