The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has released Amendment 02 of its Health Science Futures (HSF) Mission Office Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO), under Solicitation Number ARPA-H-SOL-24-104. As part of its mission to catalyze high-risk, high-reward research, ARPA-H aims to remove scientific and technological barriers to next-generation healthcare. This ISO creates a formal pathway for transformative ideas that do not fall under existing ARPA-H program models, inviting proposals from a broad swath of academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations to redefine the boundaries of biomedical innovation.
Solicitation Scope and Objectives
This solicitation specifically targets projects that align with the HSF Mission Office’s commitment to revolutionizing health care through disease-agnostic, platform-driven, and translational research. HSF supports proposals that move beyond incremental science, instead pushing for breakthroughs in:
- Breakthrough Technologies: Innovations that can redefine disease detection, maternal health, and therapeutic interventions, including regenerative medicine, non-invasive diagnostics, and neuropsychiatric treatment tools.
- Transformative Tools: Rapid-to-deploy medical solutions such as smart biohybrid devices, advanced neuromodulation systems, and synthetic biology frameworks.
- Platform Systems: Reconfigurable and scalable systems for cell engineering, AI-integrated biology, and omics platforms enabling real-time health insights.
Proposals that do not represent a disruptive advancement, such as incremental product improvements or those already in clinical trials are excluded. Likewise, submissions centered on policy changes, infrastructure construction, or general education and training are outside the scope of this opportunity.
Submission Framework and Phased Structure
The ISO uses a two-step process:
- Solution Summary Submission: Mandatory for all proposers. ARPA-H provides written feedback on novelty and alignment with HSF goals.
- Full Proposal Submission: Only invited after favorable feedback. Proposals must follow provided templates and include technical, management, cost, and policy documentation.
Evaluation will emphasize scientific merit, relevance to ARPA-H’s mission, proposer capability, and budget alignment. Importantly, each submission is evaluated on its own merits, not comparatively, and award negotiations may proceed in full or in part, with the option for phased work and milestone-based funding.
Key Dates
- Final Submission Deadline: March 5, 2029
- Proposal Deadline After Feedback: 45 calendar days from ARPA-H feedback on Solution Summary
- Q&A Period: Ongoing while solicitation is open
All submissions must be made via the ARPA-H Solution Submission Portal.
Award and Funding Information
- Award Mechanism: Other Transactions (OTs)
- Expected Number of Awards: Multiple
- Eligible Applicants: Academia, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies; U.S.-based entities preferred, with restrictions on foreign participation
- Performance Period: Phased and milestone-based durations, determined during negotiations
Funding size and duration will vary, reflecting the novelty and complexity of the proposed effort. ARPA-H reserves the right to fund proposals in stages or as segmented projects.
Accelerating Transformative Health Outcomes
By championing audacious science and unbounded innovation, this ISO seeks to create the technologies, platforms, and systems that will drive real-world translational impact, from restoring organ functions to curing chronic diseases, and from democratizing precision diagnostics to enabling mental health breakthroughs. ARPA-H is committed to shaping a future in which healthcare is adaptive, personalized, and accessible to all.
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