FRONT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The recording of FRONT’s Proposers' Day will be posted to FRONT’s webpage once processed. NOTE: the content in the FRONT Innovation Solutions Opening (ISO) supersedes any information presented in the recording. 

The FRONT ISO can be found on SAM.gov. The final version was released on July 10th, 2025. The latest version of the ISO supersedes any information presented in other publications, and sets forth the requirements for Full Proposals, the criteria for the evaluation, and instructions for the submission. 

The bundle of attachments for the FRONT program will contain proposal submission templates and a Model Agreement (Other Transaction) with basic terms and conditions. The bundles will be provided to proposers who are encouraged to submit a proposal. For proposers who are not encouraged to submit a proposal, they may request the bundle of attachments upon receiving notice that they are not encouraged to submit a proposal. 

ARPA-H cannot provide formal approval or feedback on a specific technology, concept or idea prior to the submission of a Solution Summary. Refer to the language in the ISO to determine fitness. Feedback on the fit of specific technology will be provided following Solution Summary submission. 

There is no limitation on a team being part of multiple submissions. However, a team can only take one lead role with a significant effort on a project. 

Preliminary data are not required for the Solution Summary submission. Outside of guidance within the ISO, including Appendices, ARPA-H cannot advise proposers in terms of Solution Summary and/or Full Proposal strategy and content. Solution Summaries will be reviewed, and Full Proposals will be evaluated as described in the ISO Section 6. Proposers should prepare submissions accordingly. 

The Team Organization and Capabilities, R&D timeline, and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) are not included in the 4-page limit, but should adhere to the formatting and length guidelines in Appendix A. 

Please refer to the FRONT ISO on SAM.gov for due dates.

Yes, a Solution Summary is required.

ARPA-H will review conforming Solution Summaries and provide written feedback. At a minimum, feedback will encourage or discourage the submission of a Full Proposal. Feedback will be sent to the administrative and technical points of contact noted on the Solution Summary cover page. Regardless of whether the proposer is encouraged to submit a proposal in response to the ISO, it is eligible to do so. Solution Summaries must be submitted in accordance with the requirements of Section 6.1 and Solution Summary feedback must be received prior to submission of a proposal. 

Responses and decisions will be sent to the email recorded in the submission system once the review process is complete. Additional details and instructions will be shared at that time. 

Please use the HHS guidelines for salary rate limitations. Salaries must be proposed below that rate limitation. 

There is no threshold, but you should budget realistically. The budget should reflect the most technical and reasonable estimate of how to complete the tasks. Furthermore, budget alone does not determine selectability. 

ARPA-H will require the underlying raw data used to generate the technology to be shared with the program manager during regular meetings, but the IP does not need to be disclosed. The FRONT program aims for innovative platforms that are developed to achieve commercial success through widespread usage and, therefore, expects the IP to be protected. 

The Solution Summary requires a rough overview of the cost, while the Full Proposal requires more detail and needs to include at minimum a detailed budget plan justifying all costs with quotes where appropriate. Please see the bundle of attachments for templates.

Pre-award costs will not be reimbursed unless a pre-award agreement is negotiated prior to award. 

No there are no restrictions except for the involvement of federal government entities and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Proposers can develop a team consisting of any of the eligible groups. Please review eligibility requirements in the ISO. 

Please submit a teaming profile via the Solutions Portal.

Yes.

There is no limitation on a team being part of multiple submissions. However, a team can only take one lead role with a significant effort on a project. 

There is no maximum number. Proposers are responsible for proposing a team capable of meeting the proposed Statement of Work, recognizing the Government is evaluating team capability as well as price reasonableness. 

Non-U.S. entities may participate to the extent that such participants comply with any necessary nondisclosure agreements, security regulations, export control laws, and other governing statutes applicable under the circumstances. However, non-U.S. entities are encouraged to collaborate with domestic U.S. entities. 

A typical teaming organization includes a lead member and an administrative core to facilitate management and execution of proposed work. Please refer to the Business Innovation Division talk during the FRONT Proposers' Day Presentation. 

Key members of the Proposer's team should be identified as early as possible (e.g., Solution Summary). Failure to identify key personnel (e.g., Project Manager) and/or partners may impact the Government's evaluation. Product Sponsors need to be identified by 12 months after the project start. Proposers are encouraged to provide as many specific details as are available at the time of submission, while considering page limitations at each submission stage. 

Documentation should demonstrate that FFRDC has a unique capability without which their solution is unachievable and that the proposer's team has exhausted all other options. This will be reviewed by ARPA- H to determine if inclusion is necessary. See FRONT ISO Section 4.2 for more details. 

Yes, commercial vendors and consultants are acceptable. However, any entity performing research in an investigator role is expected to be a team member. 

There is no preference of the characteristics of the proposer team. Please see Section 4 of FRONT ISO. 

ARPA-H does not facilitate team matching. Lightning talk slides and teaming requests are available for proposers to utilize for teaming. 

Please refer to Technical Area 2 (TA2): Grafting Outcomes on page 8 of Section 2.4.1 TECHNICAL AREAS AND PROGRAM STRUCTURE of the FRONT ISO. 

Proposals should not assume provision of any Government Furnished Information (GFI). The Government may provide GFI, but the specific GFI would be negotiated after a proposal is selected for award negotiations (i.e., a proposal must stand on its own without assumptions and conditions related to GFI). 

Yes, that is acceptable. 

The FRONT program will not be considering the repurposing of endogenous cells for brain tissue repair. The new tissue must be generated from exogenous cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. 

The FRONT program is exclusively focused on the neocortex. 

The use of ES cells will not be considered. 

No.

There needs to be at least one focal damage indication beyond which proposers are free to expand on their indications. 

Yes, as long as there is sufficient justification. 

The proposal has to meet all milestone and metrics. Inclusion of a small molecule or other factor to achieve these metrics can be included if sufficiently justified.