Submission FAQs

An ISO is a unique solicitation instrument created by ARPA-H to make awards for most of its R&D efforts. ISOs are not bound by the Federal Acquisition Regulations like Broad Agency Announcements. An ISO can either be in the form of a Program-Specific ISO or Mission Office ISO. ISOs can be referred to more generally as solicitations.

• A Program-Specific ISO is used to solicit potential solutions for a specific ARPA-H program. These may also be used to solicit potential solutions for special ARPA-H initiative efforts.
• A Mission Office ISO is used to solicit and fund individual research projects that align with ARPA-H's areas of interest but fall outside any specific ARPA-H Program or Initiative. Funding for these individual efforts are limited and ARPA-H’s submission reviews may take longer when compared to submissions to Program-Specific ISOs.

• Programs are a collective set of research projects and activities funded by ARPA-H that focuses on a specific problem or challenge, are created and managed by a Program Manager, and align with agency’s wider R&D goals.
• Initiatives are special efforts designed to rapidly move from proposal to funded contracts. Unlike Programs that are driven by a single goal, these targeted investments follow unique funding tracks across a range of topics. Initiatives can be classified into subcategories, like sprints, depending on the specifics of the effort and the timeline.

No, ARPA-H is not a grant-making agency. Instead, we primarily use Other Transactions research and development (R&D) efforts. These are often performance-based agreements where funding is contingent on meeting the aggressive milestones and performance criteria agreed upon during award negotiations between ARPA-H and potential performers. Additionally, these agreements outline how ARPA-H’s Program Managers will remain involved in projects and activities throughout the life of the effort to measure and evaluate performance to ensure the best solutions advance.  

ARPA-H's agreements often result in flexible, streamlined, and cost-effective project design and execution when compared to other contracting instruments.

Start by carefully reading all the solicitation documents associated with the opportunity. Each solicitation / ISO contains detailed information specific to its opportunity, including a description of solicitation, eligibility information, guidance on preparing your submission materials, evaluation criteria, required templates, details about the review process, and award administration information. 

If you still have questions about a specific opportunity, please use the “Ask A Question” feature in the ARPA-H Solutions Portal (link opens in new window, sign-in required). ARPA-H will attempt to answer questions in a timely manner.

• All responsible sources capable of satisfying the government’s needs: This includes academia, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, hospitals, community health centers, non-federal research centers, researchers, and individuals capable of performing research and/or development.
• Small businesses: Small businesses with the expertise to conduct innovative research and development are welcome to apply to any opportunity.
• Non-U.S. Organizations/International entities: ARPA-H can directly fund a foreign entity; however, ARPA-H will prioritize awards to entities that conduct funded work in the U.S., as per 42 USC § 290c(n)(1). Awards will not be made to entities organized under the laws of a covered foreign country, defined in the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. § 3059) as Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China. Each solicitation defines eligibility and requirements so please review the solicitation for detailed instructions. For more information, see the International Affairs FAQs.

ARPA-H will announce Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award opportunities throughout the year. Only small businesses are eligible to submit proposals to these solicitations. ARPA-H defines a small business according to the Small Business Administration (SBA) guidelines (link opens in new window) and federal regulations.  

Eligibility criteria vary slightly between an SBIR and STTR. Be sure to confirm all criteria presented in the solicitation before applying to a small business award opportunity

Yes, entities can complete submissions to multiple opportunities so long as the submission idea/solution is not the same.  If entities complete submissions to multiple opportunities with the same idea/solution, the submission may be considered non-conforming and might not be reviewed.  

While entities may generally only submit one idea/solution to each Program-Specific ISO as the primary proposer, it may propose within multiple teams as a teaming partner (sub-awardee).

Unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation, proposers will submit Solution Summaries and proposals to the ARPA-H Solutions Portal (link opens in new window), which is ARPA-H's custom submission and registration platform. Registration and log-in are required.

Unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation, the proposer will need to register and log-in to the ARPA-H Solutions Portal in order to submit an idea/solution, register for events, create a teaming profile, and ask opportunity-specific questions.

Sometimes. Some opportunities require registration with SAM.gov before you can submit a proposal. At present time, this includes Mission Office ISOs and SBIR solicitations.  

Please read the solicitation carefully to know if registration is required. If required, the solicitation will contain additional information on registering with SAM.gov.

Submissions are evaluated against the criteria outlined in the respective solicitations. Carefully read the solicitation to understand the evaluation criteria, which will vary by solicitation.

Submissions will be evaluated by government reviewers who may be ARPA-H Program Managers or qualified personnel from other government organizations and agencies who are deemed proficient in the pertinent research areas of the solicitation.

• A Solution Summary is a short concept summary document for proposers to submit to ARPA-H in response to a solicitation prior to investing resources for a proposal submission. ARPA-H will provide a response on the viability of and interest in the concept based on this information.
• A proposal is a longer, more detailed submission that elaborates on the concept and plan to accomplish the solution in a format and manner consistent with solicitation requirements. ARPA-H will use proposal submissions to make decisions about whether or not to fund a proposed research idea.

Sometimes. Some opportunities, including Mission Office ISOs, require a Solution Summary submission prior to submitting a proposal. Carefully read the solicitation to confirm if a Solution Summary is required.  

Even when not required, a Solution Summary submission is highly recommended as these short, concept summary documents allow ARPA-H to provide feedback on the relevance and viability of your concept prior to you investing resources in a full proposal submission.

The best way to receive feedback is to submit a Solution Summary. ARPA-H will review and provide written feedback to all Solution Summary submissions. Feedback, at a minimum, will provide encouragement or discouragement to submit a proposal. ARPA-H does not provide individual feedback prior to a Solution Summary submission.

You will receive a feedback letter after ARPA-H reviews your Solution Summary. Feedback, at a minimum, will provide encouragement or discouragement to submit a proposal. If “encouraged,” the letter may provide additional information on next steps and a timeline for proposal submission. Details may vary based on the opportunity.

Timely reviews and awards are critical to ARPA-H's mission. Even so, we take great care to ensure an ethical, fair, and consistent review process free of bias and conflicts of interest. As a result, the timeline for a response may vary depending on the number of submissions received and other factors.

At present time, entities are not able to see their submissions or the individual status of their submissions once submitted.  

If you have questions about a specific opportunity or the status of your submission(s), please use the “Ask A Question” form within the ARPA-H Solutions Portal (link opens in new window; log-in required).

No. Proposers’ Day events are most often associated with Program-Specific ISOs. Please read the solicitation carefully for details about Proposers’ Day. 

Note: Mission Office ISOs do not have Proposers’ Days since they are open for multiple years and involve rolling submissions.

No. Proposers’ Day is an optional event and attendance is not required. However, attendance is highly recommended for potential proposers and teaming partners to learn more about the opportunity. If you are unable to attend, you can still watch a recording of the event, which ARPA-H will post to the website after the event occurs.

Yes. A recording of each Proposers’ Day event will be posted to the opportunity’s associated informational page on the arpa-h.gov website once processed.

No. Proposers are encouraged (but not required) to form teams with varied technical expertise.

No, ARPA-H does not suggest or match teams. Where teaming may be necessary to achieve the goals of the program, ARPA-H may include a webpage of teaming profiles to help you make connections.

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

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. 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. 

Yes, performers may make sub-awardee teaming changes post-award, but such changes may require notification to, or negotiation with, ARPA-H.

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.  

Review eligibility requirements in the solicitation before finalizing a team and completing a submission.

Adhere to HHS guidelines for salary cap limitations. Salaries must be proposed below the rate limitation, which usually changes annually.

We generally fund Programs in the range of $50-150M, shared across selected performers (awardees). The total amount will depend on the specific topic and program structure, quality of proposals received, total number of performer teams, and other variables. Your proposal should budget realistically, and the budget should reflect rationale for the best estimate of how to complete the tasks. Selection decisions, in part, do consider the availability of funds and the reasonableness of the proposed budget. Specific award amounts and scope of work for each award will be negotiated after selection.

Project proposals awarded through the Mission Office ISOs typically have fewer resources than individual Program-Specific ISOs. ARPA-H is most interested in high-impact, high-potential proposals with aggressive research milestones to demonstrate rapid proof-of-concept. While there is no threshold, your proposed budget should be realistic and justified. Selection decisions, in part, do consider the availability of funds and the reasonableness of the proposed budget.

Generally, resource sharing is not required unless the specific Other Transaction (OT) authority in question requires resource sharing as a condition for OT use. Agreements Officers have authority to structure agreements with resource sharing. Resource-sharing in OTs is generally applicable in projects where the performer may expect commercial or other benefits as a result of the project with the government.

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 necessarily need to be disclosed. IP rights will be part of award negotiations between the proposer and ARPA-H. Note, there are more flexibilities regarding IP under Other Transactions than under financial assistance regulations.

Program Managers (PMs) will constantly communicate with teams and monitor project progress during execution. Key indicators include how well the performer performs against the metrics and milestones included in the ISO and the terms of the awarded agreement. However, the PM and project team will continuously assess performance and will work with the performer to address any performance-related issues, which could include either pivoting to a more promising approach or reducing portion(s) of a project that are deemed not successful.

ARPA-H does not disburse funds all at once; rather, funds are typically disbursed after the performer successfully completes milestones. In general, an Other Transaction (OT) will have a milestone payment schedule where milestones represent technical progress in a project. Achieving technical milestones during the performance period will factor into whether a performer continues in whole or in part. Unsuccessful aspects may be removed or modified, or the project may be required to pivot, which may affect the funded amount.

The prime OT awardee is responsible for disbursement of payments to any sub-awardees or additional team members.