Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

Director Renee Wegrzyn sets the agency's strategic priorities, but individual program managers design and execute specific programs. These term-limited managers identify research gaps, write program solicitations, select performer teams, and have authority to modify or terminate projects based on milestone results. Governance and selection processes are outlined in the agency's authorizing statute and published funding announcements.

Yes, ARPA-H is established as an independent agency within the National Institutes of Health. It was authorized by Congress in the 2022 appropriations bill and reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, not the NIH Director directly. This structure gives it budgetary and operational independence from standard NIH peer-review processes.

ARPA-H funds translational research — the chasm between basic science discoveries and clinically deployable products. Projects range from early proof-of-concept to preclinical validation and early-stage human trials. The agency intentionally avoids work that could be funded through standard NIH R01 grants or that has near-term commercial viability attractive to venture capital.

No. ARPA-H does not take equity positions, nor does it expect a financial return. Its funding instruments are grants, cooperative agreements, and Other Transaction Agreements that may include milestone-based payments. Intellectual property terms are negotiated per award, generally allowing performers to retain ownership while granting the government certain use rights.

The agency is structured to avoid incremental or near-certain advances. It does not fund late-stage clinical trials outside exceptional circumstances, nor does it support work that existing pharmaceutical development pipelines or NIH institutes are expected to pursue. It has no mandate in non-health technologies, defense-specific medical countermeasures, or pure basic science without a translational path.

ARPA-H program managers define program areas and publish Broad Agency Announcements, targeted solicitations, and prize challenges. Proposals are accepted from universities, nonprofit research institutes, and companies of any size. The agency also holds proposer days and outreach events to shape programs before formal solicitations are released.

The agency actively encourages co-funding arrangements with other government entities, philanthropic foundations, and private investors. Several programs require or incentivize cost-sharing from performers or external partners. ARPA-H has publicly stated a goal of bridging projects from government support into commercial pathways where private capital can fund later development and scale-up.