Delphi

Developing self-monitoring ecosystems to “know thyself”

What if discreet and low-cost wearable devices could help Americans continuously track deep biological information? 

The Problem 

  • Devices that continuously monitor the body’s signals can offer key insights into health and wellness—but there is far more potential to explore. Currently, wearable or ingestible sensors provide only biophysical data, like heartrate, or metabolic data, like blood glucose. This narrow scope leaves out rich data streams that can prevent life-threatening health crises, better manage chronic conditions, safely recover from illness outside of a hospital, and improve overall wellness. 
  • Today’s biosensors are bulky, expensive, and hard to update. Often, platforms are built with "one-off" design, focusing on only one component of health monitoring. This narrow approach means the biosensor industry continues to reinvent technology, slowing innovation and keeping costs high for people seeking useful information about their own bodies. 

The Solution 

  • The Delphi program will spur a new development ecosystem that provides quick access to cutting-edge bioelectronics and sensing strategies. This approach will spur innovation with tiny, smart, next-generation “chiplets” that optimize delivery of real-time insights of important internal signals like hormones, immune markers, and therapeutic drug levels. 
  • The “chiplet” platform will be designed to mix and match across a range of wearable and ingestible biosensors with a variety of sensing functions. This miniscule building block approach will pave the way for more accurate, affordable, and reliable devices. 
  • This sophisticated technology will enable clinicians to track a broad range of biomarkers, and thereby detect the earliest signs of disease and remotely fine-tune treatments.  
  • Perhaps even more importantly, it will enable all Americans to take ownership of their own health. Like the Greek legend of the oracle at Delphi, this program encourages Americans to “know thyself.” 

Only ARPA-H can... 

  • Catalyze a daring overhaul of biosensor design, manufacturing, and packaging to enable continuous, real‑time monitoring of deep biological signals for everyone. 
  • Leverage cutting‑edge chiplet microelectronics, ultra‑low‑power management, secure communications, and advanced bio‑interfaces to create modular sensors that can be rapidly reconfigured and reused across many health applications. 
  • Empower top experts across diverse disciplines—microelectronics, materials science, bioanalytical chemistry, and cybersecurity— to build open, reusable architectures and standards that industry alone cannot develop. 
  • Lower the barriers for bold prototypes that can be scaled and adopted by healthcare and consumer markets. 

Solicitation

What ARPA-H needs to solve this problem 

Delphi seeks teams with expertise in microelectronics, biosensing, materials science, low‑power wireless communications, secure data protocols, and biocompatible packaging. Teams may include academic institutions, non-profit organizations, companies, or a combination of highly skilled performers across sectors. The program has three technical areas: “dry” chiplets for ultra‑low‑power management and secure communications, “wet” biosensor chiplets that robustly interface with the body to detect key biochemical markers, and advanced biocompatible packaging that hermetically integrates these chiplets.

Notice ID: ARPA-H-SOL-26-153

ARPA-H invites interested parties to review the solicitation, which is posted and maintained on SAM.gov. The solicitation outlines the opportunity and its requirements, key dates and deadlines, submission documents and templates, evaluation criteria for submissions, and information on how to apply.

Key Dates:

Solution Summary Due: Apr. 8, 2026, 5:00PM

A summary is required to submit a full proposal.

Full Proposal Due: May 13, 2026, 5:00PM ET 
After submission of a solution summary, proposers will either be encouraged or discouraged from submission of a full proposal. It is strongly recommended that only proposers who are encouraged to submit a full proposal do so.  

Reminder: Dates are estimates and subject to change. Please reference the solicitation for the most up-to-date information.

Review Solicitation Details

Ready to apply? To submit a Solution Summary, sign-in to the ARPA-H Solutions Portal

Frequently Asked Questions

Review responses to common questions about this funding opportunity asked by others in the proposer community. 

You can also ask a question. 

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Proposers’ Day

This is an optional event for the proposer community to learn more about this opportunity, ask questions, and make connections. This event is not intended for patients, patient advocates, or general interest audiences.  

Event date: Mar. 27, 2026, 8:00AM – 5:00PM MT 

Event location: Hybrid in Tempe, AZ

Reminder, dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information about this event, reference the Special Notice (ARPA-H-SN-26-151) on SAM.gov.

Register for Proposers’ Day

Teaming

ARPA-H anticipates that teaming will be necessary to achieve the goals of Delphi. Prospective proposers are encouraged to form teams with varied technical expertise to submit a research proposal.  

To facilitate this process, we have created a teaming page where prospective proposers can share their profiles and learn more about other interested parties.  

View Teaming Profiles

Program Manager

Kate Arnold headshot

"We built this program to empower people to know themselves in a way never before possible. By creating secure devices that provide continuous information about one’s body, we can fundamentally change the way people and their care teams make informed decisions about health and wellness."

Paul E. Sheehan, Ph.D.

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