ARPA-H Emerging Health Innovators (EHI) 2026, ARPA-H-SOL-26-150: Up to $1.05M for Early-Career Researchers

ARPA-H's Emerging Health Innovators (EHI) initiative funds bold, early-stage health research led by early-career investigators, and pairs every award with an ARPA-H Program Manager who acts as project manager and mentor. Companies, universities, and nonprofits can all lead, as long as the Project Lead is within 8 years of their first terminal degree. Each award is worth up to $1,050,000 over three years, across 16 topic areas spanning devices, diagnostics, biotech, and clinical AI.

Deadline: Solution Summaries are due October 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET through the ARPA-H Solutions site. Full proposals are due February 10, 2027 at 2:00 PM ET.

Why This Opportunity Matters

Most ARPA-H programs are built for large, experienced teams. EHI is the exception. It is designed to bring new researchers into the ARPA-H model, fund ideas that are still too early for traditional grants, and train the next generation of ARPA-H performers and Program Managers. For a startup with a young technical lead, it is one of the few ways to win a direct ARPA-H award without competing against established multi-institution teams.

EHI also comes with something money cannot buy: a monthly working relationship with an ARPA-H Program Manager. For a company planning to pursue larger ARPA-H programs later, that relationship and the track record of delivering on an ARPA-H agreement can be a meaningful advantage.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Sponsor: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Office of Commercialization
• Solicitation: ARPA-H-SOL-26-150, Innovative Solutions Opening (Amendment 1)
• Award type: Fixed-price Other Transaction (OT) agreements paid on milestones
• Award size: Up to $1,050,000 total, including indirect costs
• Structure: 24-month base period (up to $350,000 per year) plus an optional 12-month Director's Award (up to $350,000) for top performers
• Number of awards: Multiple. ARPA-H expects to fund 20 or more awards per year through EHI
• Proposers' Day: October 13, 2026 (virtual, register by October 12)
• Solution Summary due: October 30, 2026, 2:00 PM ET (required)
• Full proposal due: February 10, 2027, 2:00 PM ET
• Tentative selections: April 30, 2027, with awards starting around June 30, 2027
• Cost share: Not required

The 16 EHI Topic Areas

Every submission must target exactly one topic. Ideas outside these topics are not accepted.

Devices, Implants, and Neurotechnology

• Topic 1, Precision Control of Skin Inflammation: Networked biomaterials in the skin that sense inflammation and deliver localized, reversible therapy without systemic exposure.
• Topic 2, Internal Sensing and Targeted Control of Inflammation: Injectable or ingestible micro and nano scale platforms that sense inflammation and deliver therapy under closed-loop or external control.
• Topic 3, Deep Brain Stimulation for Sleep (Deep Sleep): Using DBS to record and modulate deep brain activity during sleep and test personalized, closed-loop therapy.
• Topic 15, ICAT In-Cavity Adjuvant Therapy: Implantable systems placed in the tumor resection cavity that deliver steep, tunable therapy and sense residual disease, with glioblastoma as the example model.

Diagnostics and Women's Health

• Topic 9, SMILE: Low-cost detection of early tooth decay and oral microbiome imbalance, or bio-inspired enamel repair that outlasts fillings.
• Topic 10, Ectopic Pregnancy First-Visit Diagnosis: Same-day point-of-care tools, biomarker panels, or imaging approaches that distinguish viable pregnancy, early loss, and ectopic pregnancy.
• Topic 11, Transforming the Well-Woman Exam: Objective at-home or primary care screening for conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, and perimenopause. Standalone AI tools are discouraged.
• Topic 14, Non-Contact Sterility Testing: Measuring sterility in sealed containers fast enough for in-line distributed manufacturing, replacing tests that take 3 to 14 days.

Biotech, Immunology, and Tissue Platforms

• Topic 4, CLEAR-MIND: Preclinical work to restore the brain's drainage system and rebalance immune response after injury.
• Topic 5, HIND: Host-pathway interventions, biomarkers, and CNS delivery for neurotropic diseases such as rabies, EEEV, and prion disease.
• Topic 7, Engineering DRTs: Programmable, protein-templated DNA synthesis as a new medical countermeasure strategy.
• Topic 8, Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Mapping, predicting, preventing, and treating tick-bite triggered alpha-gal allergy.
• Topic 12, Biotransport for Organ Preservation: Uniform, low-toxicity delivery and removal of cryoprotectants through thick tissues and whole organs.
• Topic 13, Organs-in-Action: Organ and system scale human tissue platforms, beyond organoids and chips, for aging, disease, and therapy discovery.

Artificial Intelligence and Data

• Topic 6, Protecting Patient Data in Life Science AI: Defenses against membership inference and model inversion, leakage measurement, machine unlearning, and agentic AI security.
• Topic 16, Causally Grounded Alignment for Clinical Generative AI: Causal alignment constraints, evaluators, and mechanistic auditing for clinical generative AI tools.

Is Your Company a Fit?

EHI is a strong fit if most of these are true:

• Your proposed Project Lead completed their first terminal degree (typically a PhD, MD, or equivalent professional degree) within the last 8 years. Leave, postdoc, residency, and fellowship periods can be excluded.
• The Project Lead is a working researcher, not an administrator, and is not currently a postdoc or clinical trainee.
• The Project Lead has never been the prime lead on an award from any ARPA agency (ARPA-H, DARPA, IARPA, ARPA-E).
• Your organization and every team member are employed at a U.S. institution.
• Your idea fits one of the 16 topics and aims for a revolutionary advance, not an incremental improvement.
• Your company has, or can quickly get, an active SAM.gov registration and UEI.

Things that rule a team out: FFRDCs, UARCs, national labs, and government entities cannot apply or team. Subawards, consultants, and vendors together cannot exceed 30 percent of the total agreement value. The concept cannot already be funded or selected for funding by another agency.

How to Apply

1. Register on the ARPA-H Solutions site. All submissions go through solutions.arpa-h.gov. Start your SAM.gov registration now if you do not have one, since it can take more than 14 business days.
2. Submit a Solution Summary by October 30, 2026. The summary is limited to 2 pages plus a cover sheet, names one topic, and must be completely anonymized. Identifying information about the Project Lead, company, or team goes on the cover sheet only, and references are not allowed.
3. Wait for an encourage or discourage decision. ARPA-H does not provide written feedback. Discouraged proposers may still submit but are strongly advised not to.
4. Submit the full proposal by February 10, 2027. It includes pitch slides, an 8-page technical and management proposal, a task description document, a milestone payment schedule, administrative and research security forms, and a signed organizational letter of support.

Each organization may submit more than one proposal, but each must have a different Project Lead, and each Project Lead may submit to only one topic.

How BW&CO Helps

BW&CO helps deep tech and life science companies decide whether EHI is the right ARPA-H entry point, choose the strongest topic, and write a Solution Summary that stands out in a blind review. We also build milestone payment schedules that ARPA-H can approve and help teams prepare the full proposal package if they are encouraged. With $350M+ in non-dilutive funding secured for our clients, we know how to position early-stage ideas for agencies that fund breakthroughs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ARPA-H Emerging Health Innovators (EHI) initiative?

EHI is an ARPA-H mentorship and funding initiative for early-career investigators. It funds revolutionary health research across 16 topic areas through Other Transaction agreements, and each award is paired with an ARPA-H Program Manager who serves as mentor and project manager.

How much funding does EHI provide?

Each award can be worth up to $1,050,000, including indirect costs. That includes a 24-month base period of up to $700,000 and an optional 12-month Director's Award of up to $350,000 reserved for exceptional performers.

When is the EHI 2026 deadline?

Solution Summaries are due October 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET. Full proposals are due February 10, 2027 at 2:00 PM ET. A Solution Summary is required before submitting a full proposal.

Can a startup or small business apply to EHI?

Yes. EHI accepts proposals led by early-career investigators at industry, academic, and nonprofit organizations. There is no small business size requirement, but the organization and all team members must be employed at a U.S. institution.

Who counts as an early-career investigator for EHI?

An individual within 8 years of completing their first terminal degree. Leaves of absence, postdoctoral, residency, and fellowship periods can be excluded. Current postdocs and clinical trainees cannot serve as Project Lead, and anyone who has already led an award from any ARPA agency is not eligible.

Is cost share required for EHI?

No. The solicitation does not require cost share.

How long is the EHI Solution Summary?

Two pages, not counting the cover sheet. It must be fully anonymized, with identifying information only on the cover sheet, and it cannot include references.