ARPA-H

ARPA-H Initiatives & Sprints

Runs fast-turnaround health technology opportunities in United States for high-potential exploratory science and engineering.

ARPA-H Initiatives and Sprints are the agency's accelerated funding tracks, designed to move from proposal submission to executed agreement significantly faster than the standard Program ISO pipeline. Unlike Program ISOs, which target a single well-defined technical goal over multiple years, Initiatives bundle a range of topics under a common acceleration or integration framework and are structured for rapid deployment. The flagship example in 2026 is TIGAR — Technology InteGrator and AcceleratoR — an exploratory investment track that funds technology integrators whose work cuts across multiple ARPA-H research areas. Award sizes under Initiatives are typically smaller than those for Programs, ranging from $500,000 to $10M, with a typical median around $3M. Project durations are correspondingly shorter, generally 12 to 24 months. The estimated pool for Initiatives and Sprints is approximately $100M annually.

Eligibility is broad, mirroring the Mission Office ISO: for-profit companies, nonprofits, universities, research organizations, and individuals may apply; operations must be in the U.S. though non-U.S. registration is permitted subject to BAA Section III.A.2. TRL range is 3 to 7. Award instruments may be cooperative agreements, Other Transactions, or contracts. Cost share is not required.

Applicants seeking an Initiative or Sprint award should monitor ARPA-H's active solicitation pages closely, as each Initiative posts its own scope, submission window, and evaluation criteria. The compressed timeline is both an opportunity and a constraint: teams that can move quickly from concept to contract proposal have an advantage, but the accelerated review means that weak technical foundations are apparent earlier. Proposals should demonstrate integration value — why the specific technology bridges multiple health challenges or creates infrastructure that multiple ARPA-H programs can build on.