Brain Repair of Any Injured Neural Structure (BRAINS) - Proposers' Day
Open Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- ARPA-H-SN-26-153
- Agency
-
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Place of performance
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Points of contact
-
- BRAINS Team brains@arpa-h.gov
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) announced the Brain Repair of Any Injured Neural Structure (BRAINS) Exploratory Topic program on June 8, 2026, with a solution summary deadline of February 6, 2027, and anticipates multiple Other Transaction awards. Submission of a solution summary is mandatory for parties interested in proposing to the BRAINS Innovative Solutions Opening (ARPA-H-SOL-26-148); solution summary submissions do not themselves result in awards or funding.
BRAINS targets development of precursor tissue products to repair damaged brain regions caused by strokes, injuries, neurodegeneration, tumors, congenital conditions, and aging. The initiative excludes the neocortex and spinal cord but covers all other brain regions including the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, striatum, cingulate cortex, substantia nigra, brainstem, and cerebellum. Cell-based and organoid-based approaches are not eligible; applicants are encouraged to pursue approaches that mimic natural precursor tissue and natural development.
The program structures work as an 18-month effort in two 9-month phases with two intake groups across two technical areas: TA1 focuses on defining and generating precursor tissue for non-neocortex brain regions, including characterization of cellular and extracellular components and protocol development for human iPSC-derived precursor cells; TA2 focuses on optimizing surgical engraftment of precursor tissue into adult brains with proof-of-concept in animal models.
A virtual Proposers' Day is scheduled for June 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, with a live Q&A session on June 24, 2026, and optional sidebar meetings on June 25, 2026. Registration for Q&A and sidebars opens June 9 and closes 48 hours before each event. Contact Jean Hebert, Program Manager, at BRAINS@arpa-h.gov.
Notice text
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) posts this funding opportunity in support of the Brain Repair of Any Injured Neural Structure (BRAINS) Exploratory Topic program. ARPA-H anticipates multiple awards with Other Transaction award types resulting from this announcement. Interested parties are invited to review the BRAINS Special Notice ARPA-H-SN-26-153 and Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) ARPA-H-SOL-26-148.
Parties interested in submitting a proposal in response to the ARPA-H BRAINS ISO are required (mandatory) to submit a solution summary. No awards will be made, or funding provided as a result of solution summary submissions.
The virtual Proposers' Day will be on June 9, 2026 and the recording will be available on the BRAINS program website. The event is intended to foster a greater understanding of the BRAINS program.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| BRAINS SN ARPA-H-SN-26-153.pdf |
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