ARPA-H Emerging Health Innovators (EHI) Initiative

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) seeks proposals from early-career investigators to develop innovative biomedical, health, and community-engaged research across 16 distinct topic areas, with solution summaries due October 30, 2026, and full proposals due February 10, 2027. Awards will be made as Other Transaction Agreements with no set-aside.

Place of performance is Washington, DC. Principal Investigators must be within 8 years of completing their first terminal degree, excluding leaves of absence, postdoctoral periods, residencies, and fellowships. All proposers and team members must be employed at U.S. institutions; Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, University Affiliated Research Centers, National Laboratories, and other government entities are ineligible. Proposers who have previously served as prime awardee on any ARPA agency award are ineligible. Non-U.S. citizens employed at eligible U.S. institutions may participate if compliant with applicable security and export control regulations.

The procurement involves a mandatory two-step submission process: anonymized two-page solution summaries undergo blind review for technical merit and topic alignment; selected proposers then submit full proposals including an 8-page Technical and Management Proposal, Task Description Document, and Milestone Payment Schedule. Single PI proposals only; no co-PIs permitted. Subcontractor, vendor, and consultant costs cannot exceed 30% of total award value. Proposals involving human or animal subjects must include IRB or IACUC approval plans.

Base award ceiling is $700,000 over 24 months ($350,000 per year); Director's Award option is $350,000 for a 12-month period, for a maximum total of $1,050,000. Evaluation weighs scientific and technical merit, contribution to ARPA-H's mission, and cost reasonableness. NAICS 541714; PSC AN41. Multiple Other Transaction awards are anticipated, with performer selection targeted for April 30, 2027, and award start June 30, 2027. Questions are due February 3, 2027, directed to EHI2026@ARPA-H.gov.