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Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) – ARPA-H-SOL-26-146

Deadline: January 26, 2026

Funding Award Size: $2M+

Description: The Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) program funds development of autonomous robotic surgery technologies in two major areas: (1) fully autonomous endovascular robotic systems for procedures like thrombectomy and embolization, and (2) untethered, autonomous interventional microbots that can diagnose and treat disease with minimally invasive access.

Below is a summary. Please see the official solicitation on sam.gov for details (link in Resources Section).

Executive Summary:

The AIR program will award multiple OT agreements to teams developing autonomous endovascular robotic systems and interventional microbots that can perform key parts of surgical and interventional procedures without direct human control. The program runs for five years (two-year Phase 1 and three-year Phase 2). Companies must submit a Solution Summary by January 26, 2026 and a Full Proposal by March 30, 2026.

Complimentary Assessment

How much funding would I receive?

The ISO does not specify a minimum or maximum award amount. ARPA-H states only that it expects to make multiple OT awards under this opportunity; budgets will be driven by the scope, risk, and duration of each proposed 5-year effort (2-year Phase 1 + 3-year Phase 2).

What could I use the funding for?

The Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) program aims to catalyze the development of autonomous robotic surgery—an intervention during which a robot performs part, or all, of the procedure without direct human input. AIR encompasses two (2) technical areas: Technical Area 1 (TA1)—endovascular robotics, and Technical Area 2 (TA2)—microbots. Technical Area 1 comprises sub-areas TA1-A—endovascular robotic systems and TA1-B—endovascular simulation environment.

  • During an endovascular procedure, the surgeon reviews the pre-operative CT of the patient’s vasculature, makes a small incision in the patient’s skin, then manually navigates guidewires and catheters from the femoral or radial artery up into the patient’s brain, using occasional guidance from intra-operative 2D fluoroscopy images. The surgeon steers the distal tip of the catheter around tortuous anatomy by pushing, pulling, and twisting the catheter at the entry point—a challenging process requiring dexterity, mental mapping, and an understanding of the physical properties of catheters. Often, the surgeon must try multiple types of catheters, restarting the navigation from the beginning and losing precious time in the process. Once the target is reached, additional challenges await. For example, during a mechanical thrombectomy—the removal of a stroke-inducing blood clot from the brain—once the catheter reaches the clot, there is ambiguity around contact and suction; with little tactile feedback beyond translated resistance, the surgeon needs to make a seal and suction the clot. In addition, endovascular surgeons receive high yearly doses of radiation during procedures, increasing their risk of cancer and other sequelae such as cataracts1.

    Thrombectomies are a critical unmet need in the United States and worldwide. Every year, approximately 335,000 Americans experience an ischemic stroke caused by a large vessel occlusion (LVO), a situation in which a major blood vessel in the brain is blocked by a clot. The standard of care is to mechanically remove the clot via thrombectomy; unfortunately, only ~40,000 Americans per year—about 10% of the patients with LVOs—receive thrombectomies2. There are only 311 thrombectomy-capable centers in the United States as of 20223, and they are unevenly distributed, with 50% of Americans living more than one hour away from one. Time to procedure is crucial; every 10-minute delay in revascularization lowers a patient’s disability-free lifetime by ~40 days and increases health care costs by $10,0004. While thrombectomies are currently recommended for patients within six hours from stroke onset, recent clinical studies have shown benefit to 24 hours and beyond5.

    More broadly, other specialized or highly invasive procedures are often the only way to obtain disease diagnostics and treat pathological conditions. These include biopsies of suspicious tissue, ablations of uterine fibroids, and destruction of kidney stones, among numerous others. Overall, surgery remains dangerous: more than one in three patients experience adverse events during surgical care. Furthermore, surgery requires specialist care, which can involve extensive travel and waiting times.

    Automated systems such as microbots (small, mechanical, electronic or hybrid devices) have the potential to dramatically increase access to interventions. However, surgical microrobot research and development is largely at an early stage and mostly devoted to biosensing and microrobot motion; the smaller the entity, the more difficult it is for the entity to propel itself directionally. Implementation of end-to-end clinical solutions is notional at best, except for pill-sized gastro-intestinal (GI) imaging devices, which are specifically excluded from accepted AIR solutions. Autonomous endovascular systems also currently do not exist; although complex robotics elements have been developed in industry and academia, autonomous navigation and control algorithms are still in their infancy.

  • AIR aims to make endovascular procedures available at hospitals everywhere through autonomous robotic systems; it is understood, though, that the transition from the current state of clinical care to this audacious goal is likely to involve multiple practical evolutionary steps. They will likely include: a) clinical trials during which endovascular surgeons present in the room will be ready to take over at any moment from the autonomous endovascular robotic system; b) a first deployment phase, in which local general surgeons and remote endovascular surgeons will oversee the procedure; and ultimately, c) a phase in which only local general surgeons (or other medical professionals) will oversee the operation of thoroughly validated autonomous systems.

    AIR microbots are intended to create a paradigm shift in interventional procedures, transforming these invasive procedures—currently performed in advanced care settings and requiring skilled practitioners—into minimally invasive procedures performed in a general practitioner’s office. Microbots are expected to simplify existing procedures, enable completely new procedures, reduce complications rates and costs, and increase procedure availability.

  • Technical Area 1 (TA1) of AIR aims to develop fully autonomous robotic endovascular intervention systems. After a medical professional inserts the catheter system into the femoral or radial artery, the robot will complete an endovascular procedure without human intervention. The system capabilities will be demonstrated in several procedures, including 3D rotational angiogram imaging, vascular embolization, and, most importantly, thrombectomy. Autonomous endovascular systems developed in TA1-A will encompass:

    1) Robotic control systems that can manipulate catheters and guidewires

    2) Navigation algorithms based on pre-operative imaging and real-time sensing

    3) Steerable catheters and guidewires (if required)

    4) Solutions for autonomous clot removal and vascular embolization

    In addition, TA1-B will develop an in silico testing and validation environment for these robots, an activity that will include the collection of fluoroscopic videos of endovascular procedures, CT angiograms, and other imaging modalities as needed for training.

    Note that autonomous blood vessel access is out of scope for the AIR program; a surgeon or surgical technician will obtain vessel access.

    Additional details are available in the solicitation.

  • Technical Area 2 (TA2) of AIR aims to develop a set of interventional microbots. Performers will specify a target clinical indication and develop microbots that move, sense, and act to diagnose or treat this condition by means of more precise targeting and/or less invasive access. TA2 teams will address:

    a. Microbot locomotion

    b. Anatomy/pathology targeting methods

    c. Miniaturization or externalization of power supplies and computational processing

    d. Autonomous or automated action

    e. Microbot removal or deactivation

    Gastrointestinal/ingestible pill microbots that only image, stimulate, and/or deliver cargo are out of scope for the AIR program.

    Although the technologies for both TAs are developed and validated for a target indication, it is expected that they will serve as platforms for multiple interventions and procedures.

    Additional details are available in the solicitation.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

Beyond direct funding, AIR awards can provide strategic benefits typical of ARPA-style programs:

  • Government technical validation: Being selected by ARPA-H signals that your approach is technically ambitious and nationally relevant in health innovation and surgical autonomy, which can help in discussions with strategics, hospital systems, and investors.

  • Positioning for regulatory and ecosystem engagement: AIR is structured with parallel FDA collaboration (for TA1) and explicit regulatory milestones (e.g., simulation frameworks, Q-submissions) that can de-risk later clinical and commercialization steps.

  • Access to a high-end performer network: Performers will interact with other top robotics, imaging, and microbotics teams, plus FDA scientific collaborators and ARPA-H program staff—often leading to follow-on partnerships and future solicitations.

  • Nondilutive growth capital: Because funding is nondilutive, successful teams can mature high-capex platforms (robotics, microfabrication, imaging) while preserving equity and potentially driving higher valuations and stronger exit options down the line.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

  1. Proposer’s Day: December 16, 2025

  2. Q&A deadline: January 20, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

  3. Solution Summaries due: January 26, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

  4. Full Proposals due: March 30, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

Where does this funding come from?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a federal R&D agency within HHS, issuing awards under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 290c(g)(1)(D) via OT agreements.

Who is eligible to apply?

  • Universities and other educational institutions

  • Non-profit organizations

  • Small businesses

  • Other-than-small businesses

What companies and projects are likely to win?

  1. Overall Scientific & Technical Merit:
    Companies proposing highly innovative, technically rigorous, and fully executable plans with well-defined milestones, clear risk-mitigation strategies, and IP structures that enable commercialization are most competitive. Winning projects will demonstrate a credible path to achieving AIR’s demanding 5-year technical milestones.

  2. Proposer’s Capabilities & Related Experience:
    Teams with deep, directly relevant expertise—including experienced robotics engineers, imaging specialists, microbot developers, and required clinicians (e.g., an endovascular neurosurgeon for TA1-A)—are most likely to win. Prior success delivering complex R&D programs on time and on budget is a major advantage.

  3. Assessment of Proposed Cost/Price:
    ARPA-H will favor proposers who submit realistic, well-justified budgets that reflect the true complexity of autonomous surgical robotics or microbot development. Costs must align with the technical plan, leverage past research efficiently, and avoid artificially low budgets or staffing junior personnel simply to reduce cost.

Complimentary Assessment

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

  • Key restrictions from the ISO include:

    • Scope restrictions

      • TA1 excludes autonomous vascular access and closure; a human must obtain vessel access.

      • GI “pill camera–only” devices and ingestible microbots that only image, stimulate, or deliver cargo are out of scope; GI microbots must at least sense and biopsy, or sense/biopsy/ablate, to qualify.

      • Purely biological, purely chemical, or chem-bio-only delivery concepts (no mechanical/electronic component) are not acceptable microbots. Nanoparticles alone are out of scope.

    • Team composition and application rules

      • TA1-A teams must include at least one endovascular neurosurgeon.

      • A given team may propose to either TA1-A or TA1-B, but not both

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive solutions summary under this BAA will likely take 40–60 hours in total.

How can BW&CO help?

Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:

  • Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development

  • Reduce your time spent on the proposal by 50–80%, letting your team focus on technology and operations

  • Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth under Federal & State R&D Initiatives.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

Our full service support is available for a flat fee of $4,000 to submit a solution summary.

Fractional support is $300 per hour.

For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier grant consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.

Additional Resources

Check the full solicitation here.

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Making Obstetrics Care Smart (MOCS) – ARPA-H

Deadline: December 15-19, 2025.

Funding Award Size: $1 Million to $5 Million (Estimate)

Description: ARPA-H’s Making Obstetrics Care Smart (MOCS) program will fund teams to build new placenta diagnostics and noninvasive, wireless, AI-enabled fetal monitoring technologies that can predict fetal oxygen risk and guide safer interventions during labor, with the goal of dramatically reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in the U.S.

Executive Summary:

ARPA-H’s Making Obstetrics Care Smart (MOCS) program, run by the Scalable Solutions Office (SSO), is soliciting proposals under ISO ARPA-H-SOL-26-143 to develop new placenta health tests and noninvasive, wireless, AI-backed monitoring tools that can better predict fetal oxygen status and guide intervention during labor and delivery. Pre-proposal discussions are required between December 15–19, 2025, and full proposals are due by 12:00 PM ET on January 21, 2026 via the ARPA-H Solutions Portal.

Complimentary Assessment

How much funding would I receive?

Specific funding amounts are not listed so practically, you should assume that budgets must be tailored to the technical scope required to:

  • Develop and validate placenta risk-stratification tools, and/or

  • Design, build, and test noninvasive, wireless fetal monitoring technologies integrated with AI/ML decision support.

What could I use the funding for?

Based on the stated technical objectives, allowable work is expected to focus on R&D activities according to these guidelines:

The Problem

  • The United States has the highest rate of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality of any wealthy country, despite spending more per capita on maternal care.

  • This unacceptable status quo is largely the result of a 50-year-old, imprecise tool used during labor and delivery to monitor babies and determine whether they are getting enough oxygen—a tool called the fetal electronic monitor.  

  • Without reliable data, confusion prevails and it’s tough to make smart, informed decisions. Women end up having unnecessary cesarean sections and babies are born with low oxygen levels, which sometimes cause lifelong complications.  

  • This confusion leads to the dissolution of trust between patients and the medical system, massive lawsuits, and ultimately can cause medical providers to quit obstetrics, exacerbating the healthcare provider shortage.   

The Solution

  • The Making Obstetrics Care Smart (MOCS) program aims to address this combination of problems by developing technology to help families and care teams plan for and have safe deliveries.  

  • Our goal is ambitious: use advanced diagnostics and smart technology to make births safe. The program seeks to generate tools to predict both chronic and acute fetal status and provide the best recommendations for intervention, giving peace of mind to the care providers, mothers, and families making choices for critical labor and delivery care.

  • MOCS will develop better ways to track a baby’s status during labor. First, developing a new test that will assess the health of the placenta to understand which patients are at high risk for complications during labor. Second, designing new types of noninvasive, wireless sensors and AI-backed technology to gain real-time information about a baby’s oxygen levels and make smart decisions during delivery.  

  • If successful, MOCS will enable safe deliveries for all, drastically improving the health of women and children.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

Beyond direct funding, competitive ARPA-H programs like MOCS typically create several strategic benefits for companies and teams:

  • Government validation and credibility
    Being selected by ARPA-H signals strong technical merit and alignment with high-priority national health goals in maternal and infant outcomes. That endorsement can de-risk you in the eyes of hospitals, payers, strategic partners, and investors.

  • Visibility in a critical health domain
    MOCS targets one of the most pressing and visible failures in U.S. healthcare: maternal and infant morbidity and mortality tied to inadequate fetal monitoring. Demonstrated progress here can drive significant attention from media, advocacy groups, and professional societies.

  • Access to a curated ecosystem
    The program explicitly aims to convene “the best researchers and collaborators in labor and delivery, including healthcare providers, hospitals, payers, attorneys, and families,” creating a structured network of stakeholders that can accelerate pilots, studies, and adoption.

  • Non-dilutive capital to mature your product
    ARPA-H support is non-dilutive, enabling you to build and validate high-risk capabilities—advanced diagnostics, sensors, and AI—without giving up equity. That can translate into stronger valuations in later private rounds or at exit.

  • Stronger exit and partnership potential
    A validated, government-funded platform for safer labor and delivery can be attractive to medical device manufacturers, hospital system partners, payers, and women’s health platforms looking to expand into perinatal safety and monitoring.

These strategic benefits are not guaranteed, but they are typical of successful participation in high-profile federal health R&D programs.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

From the publicly available materials:

  • Proposers’ Day: December 11, 2025 (hybrid; Washington, DC + virtual).

  • Required pre-proposal discussions: December 15–19, 2025 (request via ARPA-H Solutions Portal).

  • Full Proposal Due: January 21, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET (submitted via ARPA-H Solutions Portal).

The documents provided do not specify:

  • Exact dates for selection decisions,

  • Award announcement dates, or

  • When funds will be obligated or projects will start.

Where does this funding come from?

Funding is provided by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), specifically through its Scalable Solutions Office (SSO), under ISO ARPA-H-SOL-26-143 for the Making Obstetric Care Smart (MOCS) program.

Who is eligible to apply?

Academia, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, hospitals, community health centers, and non-federal research centers. Non-U.S. entities may participate if compliant with all applicable laws.

What companies and projects are likely to win?

Official scoring criteria have not been released but typical criteria for ARPA-H opportunities are below (in descending importance):

  1. Scientific/technical merit—innovative, complete plans with clear deliverables, risks, and mitigations;

  2. Contribution & relevance to ARPA-H’s mission—transformative potential, unmet need, commercialization/transition thinking, and IP/software approaches that enable adoption (preference for open standards/OSS where appropriate);

  3. Team capabilities/experience—track record delivering similar efforts on budget/schedule;

  4. Cost/budget alignment with the technical approach. ARPA-H encourages proposing the best technical solution over low-risk/minimal-uncertainty concepts.

Complimentary Assessment

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

  • Attendance at Proposers’ Day is optional.
    It is not required for submission or selection, though ARPA-H notes it may help with teaming.

  • Pre-proposal discussions are required.
    Pre-proposal discussions between December 15–19, 2025 must be scheduled via the ARPA-H Solutions Portal and are a required step before full proposal submission.

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive full proposal will likely take 120–160 hours in total.

How can BW&CO help?

Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:

  • Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development

  • Reduce your time spent on the proposal by 50–80%, letting your team focus on technology and operations

  • Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth under Federal & State R&D Initiatives.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

Our support is available for $300 per hour.

For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier grant consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.

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ARPA-H Scalable Solutions Office (SSO) BAA

Deadline: Rolling basis until March 5, 2029.

Funding Award Size: Typically varies by project scope; proposers should request only what is necessary to reach a meaningful technical milestone—often $2 million or more for high-impact efforts.

Description: Funding for revolutionary solutions that expand equitable access, affordability, and rapid deployment of health innovations across the U.S. healthcare landscape. The SSO ISO supports scalable technologies that enhance distribution, biomanufacturing, and delivery systems to reach every patient efficiently and affordably.

Executive Summary:

ARPA-H’s Scalable Solutions Office (SSO) has an open “Mission Office Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO)” to fund revolutionary solutions that expand access, affordability, manufacturing, and distribution of health technologies across the U.S. healthcare system. The ISO accepts Solution Summaries and, if encouraged, full proposals; it anticipates multiple awards made as Other Transactions (OTs). The solicitation is open now and remains open until March 5, 2029.

Complimentary Assessment

How much funding would I receive?

The solicitation does not specify dollar amounts or funding ceilings. Awards are made as Other Transaction (OT) agreements at the government’s discretion, with specific payment structures negotiated individually. As a rule of thumb, companies should request only what they need to reach a meaningful technical or commercialization milestone—a concrete point that clearly demonstrates feasibility, enables transition, or unlocks follow-on investment.

What could I use the funding for?

This ISO seeks solution summaries and proposals for projects that fall within the general scope of the ARPA-H Scalable Solutions Office (SSO). The SSO seeks to improve health care access and affordability through revolutionary technical innovations that address the challenges of geography, distribution, manufacturing, and data- and information management. Many communities and remote areas in the United States lack access to timely and quality health care, which leads to disparities in health outcomes for those populations. Bottlenecks during the manufacturing processes of products and health technologies also lead to delays and limited availability, preventing effective distribution of health care solutions to areas of need, especially in emergencies.

Funded SSO health innovation projects will improve the readiness of technologies and medical capabilities to be rapidly, broadly, and affordably adopted by patients, providers, and payers throughout the healthcare ecosystem and improve the patient experience. Manufacturing and supply chain focused SSO projects will lower the bar to entry for new developers, accelerate the rate of development, reduce development and product costs, and improve reliability and agility in manufacturing and product distribution.

Solutions should focus on rapid innovation and the use of partnerships, as well as flexible distribution networks and streamlined manufacturing processes. The following SSO interest areas categorize the ground-breaking solutions we seek to support:

    • Approaches to improve affordability and access to health care that are adaptable to various geographic, demographic, economic contexts and can be rapidly and broadly deployed (e.g., drug-repurposing, point-of-care diagnostics, and modular health care infrastructure).

    • Tailored solutions that provide the pediatric population parity with the adult population with respect to access to treatments and other health care interventions, and that adapt to the pediatric patient’s changing physiology and developmental status over the course of years.

    • Transformational approaches to reduce or eliminate health disparities, including leap-ahead technologies that scale novel approaches in human factors, and human-centered design to respond to full diversity of patients in varied geographic settings. Tools to enable expansion of capacities, capabilities, and reach of individual and institutional healthcare providers (e.g., school nurses and schools, walk-in clinics, homesteading care) to address unmet health care access needs and expand availability of critical services.

    • Foundational capabilities to accelerate diagnoses of rare diseases and reduce the cost and increase the availability rare disease treatments wherever patients are, without the need for specialized facilities or healthcare expertise.

    • Novel materials and technologies to not only return autonomy to limited mobility and/or home bound patients.

    • Methods for standardization, automation, and broad distribution of complex procedures including, but not limited to, histopathology, rare disease diagnosis and treatment, and surgical interventions to ensure access and delivery to all populations.

    • Technical approaches to enhance delivery of effective healthcare solutions, to include dentistry, in rural or low resource settings, including but not limited to "last mile delivery”, at-home monitoring and diagnosis, imaging, drug delivery, telehealth augmentation, and support for remote medical procedures with limited need for specialized training.

    • Technologies to enable the deployment of critical healthcare resources rapidly and securely at scale to the point of need in permissive and non-permissive (i.e., damaged infrastructure, cyberdenied) environments during a public health crisis or natural disaster.

    • Innovative information technology, data and analytic products and technologies to enable ordering, inventory management, situational awareness, allocation planning and demand forecasting of critical healthcare resources during a public health crisis or natural disaster.

    • Innovative manufacturing technologies

      • Approaches that reduce costs; improve access; expedite production timelines; and strengthen domestic competitiveness for biologics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and personalprotective equipment (PPE). These innovations aim to mitigate supply chain risks through:

        • Novel solutions to minimize the reliance on cold chain management and specialized handling of pharmaceuticals and biologics.

        • Scalable solutions to strengthen biomanufacturing supplychains, resolve bottlenecks, and enable domestic production, such as:

          • Improved production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, process consumables, and other critical materials (e.g., enzymes, cell lines, etc.).

          • Data-driven models to optimize bioprocessing, enhance process control, and bolster supply chain visibility.

          • Development of alternative materials and innovative methods for PPE manufacturing.

          • Improvement of capabilities to sustainably re-shore manufacturing and utilize readily accessible, cost-efficient feedstocks to strengthen the local and national industry bases.

    • Predictable, programable biological production

      • Advanced analytical technologies designed to improve product knowledge, accelerate release, and/or significantly improve analytical figures of merit.

      • Novel sensor systems, process analytical technologies, and associated process models to precisely manage bioproduction management, including:

        • Process control and monitoring systems.

        • Real-time release assays for rapid product validation.

        • Predictive capabilities to inform process development and enable efficient and effective scale-up of manufacturing to industrial scale.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

Beyond the formal funding award, there are significant indirect benefits to receiving an ARPA-H Scalable Solutions Office (SSO) agreement:

  • Government Validation and Credibility:
    Being selected by ARPA-H—the nation’s newest high-impact biomedical research agency—signals exceptional scientific credibility and alignment with the federal government’s most forward-leaning health innovation priorities. This “ARPA-H validation” often accelerates partnerships with major healthcare systems, research institutions, and investors who recognize the rigor and selectivity of government-vetted innovation.

  • Enhanced Market Visibility and Notoriety:
    Award recipients are frequently featured in ARPA-H announcements, federal health innovation communications, and national press coverage. This visibility positions your company as a recognized leader in translational health technology and attracts new collaborators, talent, and private-sector investment.

  • Ecosystem Access and Collaboration Opportunities:
    ARPA-H performers gain access to a broad innovation ecosystem spanning federal health agencies, academic research centers, and industry partners. These relationships foster collaboration, facilitate regulatory readiness, and open pathways to follow-on contracts, pilot deployments, and commercialization opportunities within the U.S. health system.

  • Nondilutive Growth and Strategic Leverage:
    Because funding is nondilutive, companies can scale and validate core technologies without giving up equity. This validation and maturity achieved under government sponsorship often lead to higher valuations and greater leverage in future fundraising or acquisition discussions.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

Open period: now through March 5, 2029.

  • Step 1 (required): Submit a Solution Summary via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal. ARPA-H strives to provide written feedback within 30 business days of submission.

  • Step 2: If encouraged, you’ll generally have 45 calendar days from feedback to submit a full proposal (unless ARPA-H specifies otherwise).

  • Review cadence: ARPA-H reviews proposals on a rolling basis and strives to issue a decision within 60 calendar days of receiving a full proposal.

  • Award timing: After selection, final negotiations for an Other Transaction (OT) award are completed rapidly, and invoicing is handled through Payment Management Services.

Because of this streamlined process, most ARPA-H applicants move from initial Solution Summary to award decision in approximately 4–5 months—making ARPA-H one of the fastest federal funders for high-impact health innovation projects.

Where does this funding come from?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a federal R&D agency within HHS, issuing awards under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 290c(g)(1)(D) via OT agreements.

Who is eligible to apply?

Academia, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, hospitals, community health centers, and non-federal research centers. Non-U.S. entities may participate if compliant with all applicable laws.

What companies and projects are likely to win?

Reviewers assess (in descending importance):

  1. Scientific/technical merit—innovative, complete plans with clear deliverables, risks, and mitigations;

  2. Contribution & relevance to ARPA-H’s mission—transformative potential, unmet need, commercialization/transition thinking, and IP/software approaches that enable adoption (preference for open standards/OSS where appropriate);

  3. Team capabilities/experience—track record delivering similar efforts on budget/schedule;

  4. Cost/budget alignment with the technical approach. ARPA-H encourages proposing the best technical solution over low-risk/minimal-uncertainty concepts.

Complimentary Assessment

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

  • Standards & IP: strong preference for open, consensus-based standards (e.g., FHIR/TEFCA, DICOM) and commercial-friendly open-source licenses when feasible; proposals must justify any deviations/standard extensions and may need a pre-submission meeting for exceptions. Provide good-faith IP rights representations; pre-publication review may be required when sensitive info could be disclosed.

  • Compliance: Human Subjects (IRB), Animal Subjects (IACUC), NIH Genomic Data Sharing (if applicable), CUI handling, research security disclosures (including CHIPS/NPSM-33 requirements), and OCI disclosures/mitigation.

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive full proposal under this BAA will likely take 120–160 hours in total.

How can BW&CO help?

Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:

  • Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development

  • Reduce your time spent on the proposal by 50–80%, letting your team focus on technology and operations

  • Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth under Federal & State R&D Initiatives.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

Our full service support is available for a flat fee of $4,000 to submit a solution summary.

Fractional support is $300 per hour.

For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier grant consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.

Read More
Broad Topic Josiah Wegner Broad Topic Josiah Wegner

ARPA-H Resilient Systems Office (RSO) BAA

Deadline: Rolling basis until March 5, 2029.

Funding Award Size: Typically varies by project scope; proposers should request only what is necessary to reach a meaningful technical milestone—often $2 million or more for high-impact efforts.

Description: Funding for transformative health system innovations that strengthen the resilience, adaptability, and interoperability of U.S. healthcare. The RSO ISO supports breakthrough solutions that enhance system robustness, improve efficiency, and safeguard access to care during disruptions.

Executive Summary:

ARPA-H’s Resilient Systems Office (RSO) is accepting innovative Solution Summaries and full proposals—on a rolling basis—aimed at strengthening the adaptability, reliability, and interoperability of the U.S. health ecosystem. Multiple awards are anticipated under flexible Other Transaction (OT) agreements. The ISO is open now and remains open until March 5, 2029.

Complimentary Assessment

How much funding would I receive?

The solicitation does not specify dollar amounts or funding ceilings. Awards are made as Other Transaction (OT) agreements at the government’s discretion, with specific payment structures negotiated individually. As a rule of thumb, companies should request only what they need to reach a meaningful technical or commercialization milestone—a concrete point that clearly demonstrates feasibility, enables transition, or unlocks follow-on investment.

What could I use the funding for?

The Resilient Systems Office (RSO), one of ARPA-H’s mission offices, seeks project proposals that drive innovations to enhance the adaptability, reliability, and interoperability of the health ecosystem. Submissions should aim for groundbreaking ideas that solve systemic challenges across the health landscape, leveraging cutting-edge technologies that address long-standing gaps in the quality, consistency, personalization, and efficacy of care.

RSO is interested in innovations that take a systems level approach in areas including, but not limited to, systems biology, data systems, biophysical systems, health IT systems, sociotechnical systems, health-related systems engineering, and other systems with the potential to improve health outcomes. While RSO welcomes “out of the box” ideas to address the above gaps, the mission office encourages proposals that address the following areas:

  • Novel system designs and modular capabilities that extend the shelf-life of systems, ensuring peak performance across a broad range of healthcare environments and use cases. Applications of interest include, but are not limited to, the adaptability and robustness of biological systems; digital platforms for secure and efficient management of information; and socio-technical systems to maintain access to care and critical information.

  • Approaches that provide paradigm shifts in system dynamics to improve health outcomes. This includes improvements to system interoperability, process, and transparency; foundational capabilities to enable integration of emerging technology solutions; overcoming systemic barriers driven by misaligned incentives; user-centric tools that improve patient care coordination and user experience; and clinical and research solutions to boost efficiency, reduce cognitive load, and accelerate scientific discovery and its application.

  • Agile interventions to reduce the impact of disruptions and enhance readiness to manage and recover from large-scale health events. This spans the entire health system, including supply chains, manufacturing, and logistics.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

Beyond the formal funding award, there are significant indirect benefits to receiving an ARPA-H Resilient Systems Office (RSO) agreement:

  • Government Validation and Credibility:
    Being selected by ARPA-H—the nation’s newest high-impact biomedical research agency—signals exceptional scientific credibility and alignment with the federal government’s most forward-leaning health innovation priorities. This “ARPA-H validation” often accelerates partnerships with major healthcare systems, research institutions, and investors who recognize the rigor and selectivity of government-vetted innovation.

  • Enhanced Market Visibility and Notoriety:
    Award recipients are frequently featured in ARPA-H announcements, federal health innovation communications, and national press coverage. This visibility positions your company as a recognized leader in translational health technology and attracts new collaborators, talent, and private-sector investment.

  • Ecosystem Access and Collaboration Opportunities:
    ARPA-H performers gain access to a broad innovation ecosystem spanning federal health agencies, academic research centers, and industry partners. These relationships foster collaboration, facilitate regulatory readiness, and open pathways to follow-on contracts, pilot deployments, and commercialization opportunities within the U.S. health system.

  • Nondilutive Growth and Strategic Leverage:
    Because funding is nondilutive, companies can scale and validate core technologies without giving up equity. This validation and maturity achieved under government sponsorship often lead to higher valuations and greater leverage in future fundraising or acquisition discussions.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

Open period: now through March 5, 2029.

  • Step 1 (required): Submit a Solution Summary via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal. ARPA-H strives to provide written feedback within 30 business days of submission.

  • Step 2: If encouraged, you’ll generally have 45 calendar days from feedback to submit a full proposal (unless ARPA-H specifies otherwise).

  • Review cadence: ARPA-H reviews proposals on a rolling basis and strives to issue a decision within 60 calendar days of receiving a full proposal.

  • Award timing: After selection, final negotiations for an Other Transaction (OT) award are completed rapidly, and invoicing is handled through Payment Management Services.

Because of this streamlined process, most ARPA-H applicants move from initial Solution Summary to award decision in approximately 4–5 months—making ARPA-H one of the fastest federal funders for high-impact health innovation projects.

Where does this funding come from?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a federal R&D agency within HHS, issuing awards under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 290c(g)(1)(D) via OT agreements.

Who is eligible to apply?

Academia, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, hospitals, community health centers, and non-federal research centers. Non-U.S. entities may participate if compliant with all applicable laws.

What companies and projects are likely to win?

Reviewers assess (in descending importance):

  1. Scientific/technical merit—innovative, complete plans with clear deliverables, risks, and mitigations;

  2. Contribution & relevance to ARPA-H’s mission—transformative potential, unmet need, commercialization/transition thinking, and IP/software approaches that enable adoption (preference for open standards/OSS where appropriate);

  3. Team capabilities/experience—track record delivering similar efforts on budget/schedule;

  4. Cost/budget alignment with the technical approach. ARPA-H encourages proposing the best technical solution over low-risk/minimal-uncertainty concepts.

Complimentary Assessment

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

  • Standards & IP: strong preference for open, consensus-based standards (e.g., FHIR/TEFCA, DICOM) and commercial-friendly open-source licenses when feasible; proposals must justify any deviations/standard extensions and may need a pre-submission meeting for exceptions. Provide good-faith IP rights representations; pre-publication review may be required when sensitive info could be disclosed.

  • Compliance: Human Subjects (IRB), Animal Subjects (IACUC), NIH Genomic Data Sharing (if applicable), CUI handling, research security disclosures (including CHIPS/NPSM-33 requirements), and OCI disclosures/mitigation.

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive full proposal under this BAA will likely take 120–160 hours in total.

How can BW&CO help?

Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:

  • Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development

  • Reduce your time spent on the proposal by 50–80%, letting your team focus on technology and operations

  • Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth under Federal & State R&D Initiatives.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

Our full service support is available for a flat fee of $4,000 to submit a solution summary.

Fractional support is $300 per hour.

For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier grant consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.

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Broad Topic Josiah Wegner Broad Topic Josiah Wegner

ARPA-H Proactive Health Office (PHO) BAA

Deadline: Rolling basis until March 5, 2029.

Funding Award Size: Typically varies by project scope; proposers should request only what is necessary to reach a meaningful technical milestone—often $2 million or more for high-impact efforts.

Description: Funding for transformative, prevention-focused innovations that extend health span and avert disease before it occurs. The PHO ISO supports bold solutions in early detection, behavior change, and system-level redesign to build a proactive, resilient, and equitable health future.

Executive Summary:

ARPA-H’s Proactive Health Office (PHO) has an open Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) to fund high-impact R&D that improves health span and health outcomes before disease onset. The ISO accepts Solution Summaries now through March 5, 2029, with multiple awards anticipated under Other Transactions (OTs). Eligible proposers include for-profit companies, non-profits, and academia. Solutions must be novel (not incremental) and align with PHO interests in prevention, early detection, behavior change, and system-level innovations.

Complimentary Assessment

How much funding would I receive?

The solicitation does not specify dollar amounts or funding ceilings. Awards are made as Other Transaction (OT) agreements at the government’s discretion, with specific payment structures negotiated individually. As a rule of thumb, companies should request only what they need to reach a meaningful technical or commercialization milestone—a concrete point that clearly demonstrates feasibility, enables transition, or unlocks follow-on investment.

What could I use the funding for?

The Proactive Health Office (PHO), one of ARPA-H’s mission offices, is seeking solutions to improve the health spans and health outcomes of Americans prior to the onset of disease and/or the development of diminished quality of life from illness. Specifically, PHO hypothesizes that: 1) the development of novel early detection methods and prophylactic interventions could drastically improve the health of American throughout their lives; 2) population-level improvements in access to and uptake of disease increase prevention- and wellness-promoting behaviors; and 3) system-level innovations are required to deliver proactive health measures effectively.

Specific PHO interest areas include:

  • i. Prophylactic approaches to prevention of diseases and harmfuldisease outcomes.

    ii. Methods for continuous and widespread sensing of health-state, and early disease indicators that can be deployed at population-scales.

    iii. Novel and scalable methods for early detection of disease and illness that include the use of low/no-cost sensing modalities.

  • i. Methods to inform and educate individuals about healthy behaviors, including lifestyle and preventative medical measures.

    ii. Methods that incentivize individuals to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors.

    iii. Novel approaches to increasing individual health spans and independence even in the absence of disease.

    iv. Early indicators of both disease- and pre-disease states, and measures associated with proactive health outcomes that are both inexpensive and effective. Low-cost, high-uptake mental health resiliency and mindfulness-building methods for individuals.

  • i. Novel, robust, and predictive surrogates for long-term health outcomes with associated epidemiological models.

    ii. Valuation models for long-term treatment effects for vaccination, screening, and other public health interventions.

    iii. New funding and delivery models for preventative interventions.

  • High-quality submissions that propose revolutionary technologies that meet the goals of PHO will be considered even if they do not address the areas of interest listed above.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

Beyond the formal funding award, there are significant indirect benefits to receiving an ARPA-H Proactive Health Office (PHO) agreement:

  • Government Validation and Credibility:
    Being selected by ARPA-H—the nation’s newest high-impact biomedical research agency—signals exceptional scientific credibility and alignment with the federal government’s most forward-leaning health innovation priorities. This “ARPA-H validation” often accelerates partnerships with major healthcare systems, research institutions, and investors who recognize the rigor and selectivity of government-vetted innovation.

  • Enhanced Market Visibility and Notoriety:
    Award recipients are frequently featured in ARPA-H announcements, federal health innovation communications, and national press coverage. This visibility positions your company as a recognized leader in translational health technology and attracts new collaborators, talent, and private-sector investment.

  • Ecosystem Access and Collaboration Opportunities:
    ARPA-H performers gain access to a broad innovation ecosystem spanning federal health agencies, academic research centers, and industry partners. These relationships foster collaboration, facilitate regulatory readiness, and open pathways to follow-on contracts, pilot deployments, and commercialization opportunities within the U.S. health system.

  • Nondilutive Growth and Strategic Leverage:
    Because funding is nondilutive, companies can scale and validate core technologies without giving up equity. This validation and maturity achieved under government sponsorship often lead to higher valuations and greater leverage in future fundraising or acquisition discussions.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

Open period: now through March 5, 2029.

  • Step 1 (required): Submit a Solution Summary via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal. ARPA-H strives to provide written feedback within 30 business days of submission.

  • Step 2: If encouraged, you’ll generally have 45 calendar days from feedback to submit a full proposal (unless ARPA-H specifies otherwise).

  • Review cadence: ARPA-H reviews proposals on a rolling basis and strives to issue a decision within 60 calendar days of receiving a full proposal.

  • Award timing: After selection, final negotiations for an Other Transaction (OT) award are completed rapidly, and invoicing is handled through Payment Management Services.

Because of this streamlined process, most ARPA-H applicants move from initial Solution Summary to award decision in approximately 4–5 months—making ARPA-H one of the fastest federal funders for high-impact health innovation projects.

Where does this funding come from?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a federal R&D agency within HHS, issuing awards under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 290c(g)(1)(D) via OT agreements.

Who is eligible to apply?

Academia, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, hospitals, community health centers, and non-federal research centers. Non-U.S. entities may participate if compliant with all applicable laws.

What companies and projects are likely to win?

Reviewers assess (in descending importance):

  1. Scientific/technical merit—innovative, complete plans with clear deliverables, risks, and mitigations;

  2. Contribution & relevance to ARPA-H’s mission—transformative potential, unmet need, commercialization/transition thinking, and IP/software approaches that enable adoption (preference for open standards/OSS where appropriate);

  3. Team capabilities/experience—track record delivering similar efforts on budget/schedule;

  4. Cost/budget alignment with the technical approach. ARPA-H encourages proposing the best technical solution over low-risk/minimal-uncertainty concepts.

Complimentary Assessment

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

  • Standards & IP: strong preference for open, consensus-based standards (e.g., FHIR/TEFCA, DICOM) and commercial-friendly open-source licenses when feasible; proposals must justify any deviations/standard extensions and may need a pre-submission meeting for exceptions. Provide good-faith IP rights representations; pre-publication review may be required when sensitive info could be disclosed.

  • Compliance: Human Subjects (IRB), Animal Subjects (IACUC), NIH Genomic Data Sharing (if applicable), CUI handling, research security disclosures (including CHIPS/NPSM-33 requirements), and OCI disclosures/mitigation.

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive full proposal under this BAA will likely take 120–160 hours in total.

How can BW&CO help?

Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:

  • Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development

  • Reduce your time spent on the proposal by 50–80%, letting your team focus on technology and operations

  • Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth under Federal & State R&D Initiatives.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

Our full service support is available for a flat fee of $4,000 to submit a solution summary.

Fractional support is $300 per hour.

For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier grant consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.

Read More
Broad Topic, Active Josiah Wegner Broad Topic, Active Josiah Wegner

ARPA-H Health Science Futures (HSF) Mission Office BAA

Deadline: Rolling basis until March 5, 2029.

Funding Award Size: Typically varies by project scope; proposers should request only what is necessary to reach a meaningful technical milestone—often $2 million or more for high-impact efforts.

Description: Funding for revolutionary, disease-agnostic health innovations that remove scientific and technological barriers to next-generation healthcare. The HSF ISO supports cutting-edge tools, technologies, and platforms with the potential for real-world translational impact.

Executive Summary:

The ARPA-H Health Science Futures (HSF) Mission Office is accepting Solution Summaries and full proposals for revolutionary health R&D under its Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO), ARPA-H-SOL-24-104. Multiple awards are anticipated via Other Transaction (OT) agreements. The ISO remains open through March 5, 2029, and you must submit a short Solution Summary and receive written feedback before a full proposal. Submissions must align with HSF focus areas (e.g., breakthrough technologies, transformative tools, and adaptable platform systems) and are expected to be high-risk, high-impact—incremental or clinical-trial-stage efforts are out of scope.

Complimentary Assessment

How much funding would I receive?

The solicitation does not specify dollar amounts or funding ceilings. Awards are made as Other Transaction (OT) agreements at the government’s discretion, with specific payment structures negotiated individually. As a rule of thumb, companies should request only what they need to reach a meaningful technical or commercialization milestone—a concrete point that clearly demonstrates feasibility, enables transition, or unlocks follow-on investment.

What could I use the funding for?

This ISO seeks solution summaries and proposal submissions for projects that fall within the general scope of the ARPA-H Health Science Futures (HSF) mission office. The HSF mission office expands what is technically possible by developing approaches that will remove the scientific and technological limitations that stymie progress towards the healthcare of the future. The HSF mission office
supports cutting-edge, often disease-agnostic research programs that have the potential for translational real-world change. Specifically excluded from consideration are proposals that represent an evolutionary or incremental advance in the current state of the art, or technology that has reached the clinical trial stage. An example of this type of proposal might include the request to fund clinical trials of an otherwise developed product. Additionally, proposals directed toward policy changes; traditional education and training; center coordination, formation, or development; and construction of physical infrastructure are outside the scope of the ARPA-H mission.

The following areas define the ground-breaking research that HSF seeks to support:

  • Paradigm shifting technologies that will change how we approach the diagnosis, treatment, and impact of diseases and conditions.

    • Novel approaches to improve maternal and fetal medicine, decrease maternal morbidity and mortality during birth, and the post-partum period. Efforts should include new technology to monitor, detect, and/or treat maternal and/or fetal complications with less invasive and traumatic methods.

    • Foundational advances in genetic, epigenetic, cellular, tissue, and organ replacement therapies that enable personalized medical interventions at scale in a manner that is accessible, cost-effective, and designed to impact the communities of greatest need.

    • Interventions that target and reverse disease pathogenesis and/or enhance plasticity to address diseases of the nervous, neuromuscular, skeletal, lymphatic, cardiovascular, and other organ systems.

    • Novel approaches to definitively diagnose and cure chronic diseases including, but not limited to, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, etc.), and cancer.

    • Technologies that expand the precision, scale, and accessibility of brain circuit mapping technologies that enable causative neuropsychiatric links to mental health disorders leading to definitive diagnosis and reliable therapeutic monitoring.

  • Novel, agile solutions that will move from bench to bedside quickly, facilitating revolutionary advances in medical care.

    • Development of tools that counter idiosyncratic, off-target, or chronic effects of medicines that are commonly used or that are being used experimentally to treat or prevent disease.

    • Development of bionic or biohybrid devices that enable direct integration and communication with the body to activate restorative pathways that restore lost senses, physical abilities, immune functions, and other organ functions.

    • Site-selective neuromodulation to regulate specific physiological functions and treat chronic health conditions such as inflammation, pain, and metabolic or endocrine disorders.

    • Synthetic biology approaches incorporating novel logic mechanisms, disease targeting and response methods, and robust control strategies to diagnose, and/or cure a multitude of diseases.

    • Imaging or other technologies engineered from discoveries at the forefront of physics and/or chemistry that reduce cost, improve size and/or portability, increase availability, expand capability, improve resolution, reduce exposure to radiation, and accommodate pediatric patient populations.

    • Integrated sensing and therapy delivery devices for addressing chronic health conditions, including mental health conditions or substance use disorders.

  • Adaptable, multi-application systems and technologies that are reconfigurable for a wide variety of clinical needs.

    • Novel molecular platforms to target and cure diseases, including the modulation of physiological systems, delivery to targets with spatial and temporal precision, and mitigation of off-target effects to accelerate interventions that dramatically improve health outcomes.

    • New approaches to accelerate and routinize mammalian and microbial cellular engineering to enable next generation therapeutic applications, develop multiscale interventions, and automate hypothesis generation and discovery to expand those applications to disease states in which cellular therapies have not traditionally been employed.

    • Innovative approaches at the intersection of artificial intelligence, high performance computing (including quantum computing) and biological systems, including enabling de novo design of biomolecules with entirely new phenotypes.

    • Revolutionary omics platforms that enable unprecedented spatial and temporal scales and resolution of physiological and disease mechanisms.

  • Other high-quality submissions that propose revolutionary technologies that meet the goals of HSF will be considered even if they do not address the other listed topics.

    Proposals in response to this Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) are expected to identify innovative approaches to enable revolutionary advances in medicine and healthcare and the science and technologies underlying these areas. While approaches that are disease agnostic are encouraged, ARPA-H welcomes proposals that offer radically new insights to address specific health conditions, including (but not limited to) cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, infectious and neurological diseases, and pediatric and maternal/fetal health.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

Beyond the formal funding award, there are significant indirect benefits to receiving an ARPA-H Health Science Futures (HSF) agreement:

  • Government Validation and Credibility:
    Being selected by ARPA-H—the nation’s newest high-impact biomedical research agency—signals exceptional scientific credibility and alignment with the federal government’s most forward-leaning health innovation priorities. This “ARPA-H validation” often accelerates partnerships with major healthcare systems, research institutions, and investors who recognize the rigor and selectivity of government-vetted innovation.

  • Enhanced Market Visibility and Notoriety:
    Award recipients are frequently featured in ARPA-H announcements, federal health innovation communications, and national press coverage. This visibility positions your company as a recognized leader in translational health technology and attracts new collaborators, talent, and private-sector investment.

  • Ecosystem Access and Collaboration Opportunities:
    ARPA-H performers gain access to a broad innovation ecosystem spanning federal health agencies, academic research centers, and industry partners. These relationships foster collaboration, facilitate regulatory readiness, and open pathways to follow-on contracts, pilot deployments, and commercialization opportunities within the U.S. health system.

  • Nondilutive Growth and Strategic Leverage:
    Because funding is nondilutive, companies can scale and validate core technologies without giving up equity. This validation and maturity achieved under government sponsorship often lead to higher valuations and greater leverage in future fundraising or acquisition discussions.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

Open period: now through March 5, 2029.

  • Step 1 (required): Submit a Solution Summary via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal. ARPA-H strives to provide written feedback within 30 business days of submission.

  • Step 2: If encouraged, you’ll generally have 45 calendar days from feedback to submit a full proposal (unless ARPA-H specifies otherwise).

  • Review cadence: ARPA-H reviews proposals on a rolling basis and strives to issue a decision within 60 calendar days of receiving a full proposal.

  • Award timing: After selection, final negotiations for an Other Transaction (OT) award are completed rapidly, and invoicing is handled through Payment Management Services.

Because of this streamlined process, most ARPA-H applicants move from initial Solution Summary to award decision in approximately 4–5 months—making ARPA-H one of the fastest federal funders for high-impact health innovation projects.

Where does this funding come from?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a federal R&D agency within HHS, issuing awards under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 290c(g)(1)(D) via OT agreements.

Who is eligible to apply?

Academia, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, hospitals, community health centers, and non-federal research centers. Non-U.S. entities may participate if compliant with all applicable laws.

What companies and projects are likely to win?

Reviewers assess (in descending importance):

  1. Scientific/technical merit—innovative, complete plans with clear deliverables, risks, and mitigations;

  2. Contribution & relevance to ARPA-H’s mission—transformative potential, unmet need, commercialization/transition thinking, and IP/software approaches that enable adoption (preference for open standards/OSS where appropriate);

  3. Team capabilities/experience—track record delivering similar efforts on budget/schedule;

  4. Cost/budget alignment with the technical approach. ARPA-H encourages proposing the best technical solution over low-risk/minimal-uncertainty concepts.

Complimentary Assessment

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

  • Standards & IP: strong preference for open, consensus-based standards (e.g., FHIR/TEFCA, DICOM) and commercial-friendly open-source licenses when feasible; proposals must justify any deviations/standard extensions and may need a pre-submission meeting for exceptions. Provide good-faith IP rights representations; pre-publication review may be required when sensitive info could be disclosed.

  • Compliance: Human Subjects (IRB), Animal Subjects (IACUC), NIH Genomic Data Sharing (if applicable), CUI handling, research security disclosures (including CHIPS/NPSM-33 requirements), and OCI disclosures/mitigation.

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive full proposal under this BAA will likely take 120–160 hours in total.

How can BW&CO help?

Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:

  • Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development

  • Reduce your time spent on the proposal by 50–80%, letting your team focus on technology and operations

  • Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth under Federal & State R&D Initiatives.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

Our full service support is available for a flat fee of $4,000 to submit a solution summary.

Fractional support is $300 per hour.

For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier grant consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.

Read More