In brief
- ARPA-H has launched three new, large-scale funding opportunities.
- The OVPR Office of Research Development will host a general information session on Friday, Oct. 9, at 12 PM ET. View the recording.
What we’re watching
UNIQUE: Unifying Imaging with Quantum Entanglement
UNIQUE aims to establish a new biomedical imaging paradigm by combining conventional anatomical, functional and molecular imaging with quantum-derived biological information.
UNIQUE seeks to develop ways to measure biological changes that may be difficult or impossible to observe with existing imaging approaches, with the longer-term goal of enabling earlier detection and characterization of diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, pancreatic cancer and other conditions in which clinically meaningful changes may occur before they are visible using current tools.
The program seeks cross-disciplinary teams spanning quantum science, radiological sciences, biomedical imaging, engineering, materials science, computational modeling and AI across two technical areas:
- TA1 (Imaging Core): Focuses on the physical hardware, detector architectures and quantum source materials needed to generate and capture quantum-derived contrast (such as entangled 511 keV photon correlations and decoherence) in phantom systems.
- TA2 (Quantum AI Interpretation and Fusion): Develops physics-informed AI algorithms and quantum-aware reconstruction methods to translate quantum observables and merge them with standard anatomical, functional and molecular imaging modalities.
TA structure: Proposers must address both TA1 and TA2 in a single integrated proposal; proposals focused on only one TA are not contemplated under the solicitation. Teams therefore need capabilities spanning both the physical imaging system and computational/AI interpretation.
- Required Solution Summary due: Oct. 29, 5:00 p.m. ET
- Full Proposal due: Dec. 15, 5:00 p.m. ET
- Proposers’ Day: Oct. 16 — registration required by Oct. 14
SPECTRA: Systems for Phenotypic Evaluation, Clinical Trajectories, Response, and Agency
SPECTRA focuses on improving individualized assessment, treatment, health outcomes, independence and quality of life for autistic people across the lifespan. The goal is to develop tools that can better characterize those trajectories, identify modifiable drivers of outcomes, support individualized intervention selection and enable more continuous and real-world assessment.
SPECTRA moves beyond reliance on behavioral observation alone by integrating objective, multi-factor measurements across genetic, environmental, family, metabolic, immune, microbiome and developmental factors. The program is based on the hypothesis that interactions among these factors contribute to distinct developmental, health, communication and functional trajectories.
SPECTRA includes four technical areas:
- TA1 (Multi-Factor Analysis and Trajectory Identification): Uses deep phenotyping and multi-modal modeling across genetic, immune, environmental and metabolic domains to identify non-linear interactions and define distinct autism developmental trajectories.
- TA2 (Population-Scale Modeling and Data Integration): Builds a federated, privacy-preserving national data backbone across institutions to harmonize disparate datasets and track longitudinal population trends.
- TA3 (Precision Intervention and Trajectory Testing): Runs clinical trials targeted at specific trajectory subgroups, testing therapies both as clinical treatments and as experimental tests of nominated causal drivers.
- TA4 (Technologies for Communication, Quality of Life, and Embedded Assessment): Creates daily-use tools—such as wearables, low-channel EEG, speech/AAC interfaces and tablet eye tracking—that enhance daily function while collecting continuous, real-world assessment data.
TA structure: Unlike UNIQUE, SPECTRA proposals should address a single TA. A distinct submission is required for each TA, and ARPA-H will not accept submissions that combine proposed solutions across multiple TAs.
Required Solution Summary deadlines vary by technical area:
- TA4: Oct. 18, 5:00 p.m. ET (submissions accepted beginning Oct. 4)
- TA1 & TA2: Dec. 2, 5:00 p.m. ET (submissions accepted beginning Nov. 18)
- TA3: Jan. 18, 5:00 p.m. ET (submissions accepted beginning Jan. 4)
- Full Proposal deadline: To be announced
SURPASS: Simulation-augmented, Real-time Platform Adaptive Seamless Trials
SURPASS aims to substantially reduce the time, cost and participant burden associated with clinical trials for drugs and biologics. The program seeks to replace fragmented, sequential trial approaches with perpetual adaptive platform trials that combine predictive computational models, shared trial infrastructure and control groups, real-time analysis and adaptive decision-making.
SURPASS aims to integrate capabilities across biostatistics, AI, clinical trial design and operations, regulatory science and patient-centered research. Teams will work across three coordinated technical areas to develop faster trials requiring fewer participants, build a continuous inference engine to support real-time decisions and create an agentic operations layer to reduce trial time and cost.
- TA1 (Phaseless Design Engine): Develops a simulation-based environment for adaptive trial planning that integrates in silico capabilities—such as digital twins and disease-progression models—across initial, efficacy and confirmatory clinical stages.
- TA2 (Continuous Inference): Establishes an auditable, real-time statistical engine that enables continuous data adaptation and interim decision-making (e.g., adding/dropping arms) without losing statistical validity or regulatory rigor.
- TA3 (Agentic Operations): Employs AI-driven operational automation to accelerate protocol generation, pre-trial setup, site management and data flows while ensuring patient safety and inspection readiness.
TA structure: SURPASS treats the three TAs as integrated components of a single adaptive clinical trial platform. Each Core Platform Team is expected to address all three TAs, rather than proposing to an individual TA.
- Informational Webinar: Oct. 15 — register by Oct. 12
- Proposers’ Day: Nov. 6 — register by Oct. 28 (recommended in person attendance)
- Required Solution Summary due: Nov. 30
- Full Proposal due: Jan. 22
Additional context
- Opportunities typically require expertise that spans multiple disciplines. Investigators considering a submission may want to begin identifying collaborators early and carefully review the solicitation-specific requirements and deadlines.
- U-M investigators can access internal resources and request proposal support.