ARPA-H: Funding Opportunities for Immunologists-ARPA-H: Funding Opportunities for Immunologists

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar introduced ARPA-H, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, and explained its mission to fund bold, high-risk, high-impact health research across the entire health ecosystem. Dr. Susan Menares described ARPA-H’s four portfolio areas: health science futures, resilient systems, proactive health, and scalable solutions. She emphasized that ARPA-H is not limited to any single disease area and seeks transformative ideas that may not fit traditional funding agencies.<br /><br />She also outlined ARPA-H’s application process, which differs from NIH: applicants submit a concise three-page abstract through an open BAA, and strong proposals clearly explain the problem, why current approaches are insufficient, how the idea is different, and whether the budget is realistic. ARPA-H provides direct feedback, and a “no” can mean “not now,” encouraging applicants to revise and return. She stressed that ARPA-H funds contracts and other transactions, not traditional grants, and expects active, milestone-driven collaboration.<br /><br />Dr. Paul DeFigurato shared his experience securing one of the first ARPA-H awards for SPICES, a project using genetically programmable bacteria to create cancer immunotherapies. He described building a strong interdisciplinary team, iterating ideas based on feedback, and adapting a DARPA-style, milestone-based proposal process. He noted that ARPA-H implementation is fast-paced, collaborative, and product-focused.<br /><br />The webinar concluded with discussion of who can participate, including the role of federal, academic, industry, and international collaborators, and clarified that ARPA-H does not always require an approved drug or device at the end of a project.

Keywords

ARPA-H

health research

high-risk innovation

portfolio areas

open BAA

three-page abstract

milestone-driven collaboration

SPICES project

cancer immunotherapy

interdisciplinary team