New ARPA-H Research Programs and Initiatives (Updated 5/21/26)

Investigators planning to apply to ARPA-H must notify the CAO Office ‘as early as possible’ by contacting Research Program Manager Ruchi Chauhan, PhD (rchauhan@bidmc.harvard.edu). 

Important note: ARPA H submissions are competitive at the institutional level and may require coordination through the CAO Office. In addition, ARPA H applications are highly competitive, and proposals are most successful when developed by multi partner team with required expertise. The CAO Office may help navigate BIDMC/BILH resources to support your submission.

We highly recommend joining the “Proposer’s Day” as it is a great way to learn more about this opportunity, and connect with the ARPA-H Program Manager, and other teaming opportunities. 

In addition, please visit the link provided for program of your interest.  Current open programs and initiative are listed below -

1. Programs Portfolio

• Intelligent Generator of Research (IGoR) program aims to make biomedical research faster and more rigorous by eliminating inefficiencies and accelerating biomedical breakthroughs through a nimble, reliable, and interoperable research ecosystem for the 21-st century. The soluation will aim four technical areas for which performers must develop: 1) mechanistic disease models that encode causal biological relationships across scales,  2) an AI orchestration layer that identifies knowledge gaps and designs optimal experiments,  3) a layered protocol architecture that enables any qualified laboratory to execute the same experiment reproducibly, and 4) a distributed marketplace of validated laboratories that execute standardized protocols and return gold-standard data. Program details are here - https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/igor
• HEARING (Hearing Enhancement through ARtificially Intelligent NeurotechnoloGy) program will advance three technical areas: intracortical device(s), dynamic sound modulation, and auditory read & write algorithms. Together, these components are intended to: 1) Adjust sound based on what the listener wants to hear, rather than just what is loudest. 2) Reduce background noise in real time in complex, real-world environments. 3) Fill in missing sound information so that speech becomes clearer and listening becomes more effortless. Please visit link https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/hearing for program details. 
• One Comprehensive Universal Radiotherapy for Everyone (1-CURE) program will develop a single, rapid, low-cost, and accessible radiotherapy approach to battle all types of cancer, including local, metastatic and RT-resistant cancers. This bold strategy integrates two core innovations: (1) multifunctional smart radiotherapy biomaterials (SRBs) that enable precise image-guided targeting and sustained delivery of immunoadjuvants, enabling therapeutic efficacy against not only localized tumors but also cancers that  have spread throughout the body or resisted traditional RT. (2) an Abscopal Treatment Planning System (ATPS), which integrates SRBs and ultra-high dose rate (FLASH)-RT to optimize and reliably achieve effective abscopal responses across diverse cancer types. Please visit https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/1-cure for details. 
• BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) program aims to make the seemingly impossible problem of room temperature biologics possible by pioneering new technologies to produce, store, and ship cells at room temperature, without any need for refrigeration. Organisms in nature have found ways to survive extreme conditions and BoSS will adapt these strategies using similar protective molecules and advanced materials. Program Link here: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/boss for details.

• Critical Illness Immunological Reprogramming and Control Point Learning Engine (CIRCLE) aims to develop new digital twin capabilities to treat critical illness using the latest in AI and diagnostics. This innovation will determine immune system control points that can enable better use of existing immunotherapies as well as next-generation interventions for critical care. 

  CIRCLE seeks to unlock the ability to track and modulate the body’s immune response on a massive scale, giving clinicians AI-based tools for better diagnosis and care of critically ill patients. For further details about the proposal, please visit the following link: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/circle.

   

• Systematic Targeting of MicroPlastics (STOMP) program will advance three technical areas across two phases. In phase 1, STOMP will (a) develop best-in-class lab-based measurements that can accurately characterize nano-sized microplastic particles even in complex biological tissue, and (b) image and characterize microplastics in animal organs and cells, illuminating the complex mechanisms of microplastic trafficking and toxicity.

  In phase 2, STOMP will (a) translate best-in-class microplastic measurement techniques into affordable, scalable systems that can quantify a patient’s microplastic burden in a clinical setting, and (b) draw on measurement methods and mechanistic understanding to develop solutions that can remove microplastics from the human body. Link is here: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/stomp

2. Initiatives and Sprints

• Technology InteGrator and AcceleratoR (TIGAR) Exploratory Topic (ET) is an ARPA-H initiative to accelerate research and overcome the current barriers to preserving complex human tissues. TIGAR aims to rapidly evaluate early-stage, high-risk preservation technologies and explore what is possible to stabilize tissues across different temperature ranges, store them for longer periods, and rapidly restore them to a functional state after storage. Check for the information on link: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/initiatives-and-sprints/tigar

   

• Evidence-Based Validation & Innovation for Rapid Therapeutics in Behavioral Health (EVIDENT) seeking multimodal, longitudinal data (e.g., psychological, social, digital, biological) collected in registered clinical trials testing the effects of rapid-acting interventions for behavioral health (e.g., neuroplastogens, neuromodulation, digital therapeutics). The data from this solicitation seeks to improve providers' ability to identify when a specific therapy will be most effective and monitor rapid treatment effects when they are occurring. Please visit for all details here - https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/initiatives-and-sprints/evident

   

3. ARPA-H Mission Office Innovative Solution Openings (ISO) provide a way to seek funds for individual research projects that fall outside the scope of an ARPA-H program or initiative, but that still aligns with an ARPA-H research focus areas. These are accepted on a rolling basis. You must follow 3 things:
4. Review the ARPA-H ‘Program Portfolio’ and ‘Initiatives & Sprints’ to ensure your idea falls outside the scope of existing programs.
5. Review the solicitations of the four ISOs linked below to determine which research focus area is the best fit for your idea.

• Health Science Futures Office ISO (ARPA-H-SOL-24-104): Research that removes scientific and technological limitations that stymie progress towards the health care of the future.
• Proactive Health Office ISO (ARPA-H-SOL-24-106): Research that focuses on preventative programs that reduce the likelihood that people become patients.
• Resilient Systems Office ISO (ARPA-H-SOL-24-103): Research that builds robust and integrated health care systems.
• Scalable Solutions Office ISO (ARPA-H-SOL-24-105): Research that addresses challenges to geography, distribution, manufacturing, data and information, and economies to promote equitable solutions.

3. Submit a brief Solution Summary outlining the key features, goals, and the potential impact of a proposed solution or project. Summaries are required and proposers must receive written feedback from ARPA-H, before submitting a full proposal.