Issue: ORN-2026-29

ARPA-H: AI and Biomedical Discovery: From data to better health outcomes

As AI tools and computational power grow, it’s imperative that the healthcare sector push forward to make the best use of the newest applications. ARPA-H advances the U.S. government’s cross-functional Genesis Mission by funding programs that develop breakthrough tools, data, and capabilities to accelerate AI-enabled health solutions and biomedical innovation. ARPA-H is answering this call by investing in research and business innovation through transformative programs and helping to turn AI’s potential into real-world impact for patients and providers.  These are not incremental improvements; they represent a fundamental shift in how quickly we can move from research questions to patient benefits. The programs below demonstrate how ARPA-H is putting this vision into practice, applying computational models and AI across the arc of biomedical discovery — from predicting how a drug will behave in the human body to designing vaccines that anticipate future threats and building the secure data infrastructure that makes it possible. Below are a sampling of the AI technologies funded by the agency. 

• Predicting Living Systems: The Computational ADME-Tox and Physiology Analysis for Safer Therapeutics (CATALYST) program is investing up to $125 million over 4.5 years to leverage AI and machine learning to develop models that mimic real human biology to predict safety and effectiveness for investigational new drug (IND) candidates, ensuring that only the most promising and safest medicines move forward to patients. CATALYST aligns with this challenge by shifting the paradigm of drug development and testing away from animals and toward AI models, bringing therapies to patients faster and at lower cost, thereby creating a drug development pathway where animal models will no longer be the proxy for how a drug behaves in humans.  
• Defending Against Biological Threats: The Antigens Predicted for Broad Viral Efficacy through Computational Experimentation (APECx) program represents an agency commitment of up to $204 million to develop computational toolkits to design vaccines that target many viruses at once. APECx aligns with this challenge by using AI-driven protein modeling and high-throughput experimentation to accelerate broad vaccine antigen discovery and countermeasure development against emerging infections, pandemic threats, and other harmful viruses.  
• Bringing Together Disparate Data Securely and Interoperably. The Pediatric Care eXpansion (PCX) effort is investing $50 million to build a national pediatric data and knowledge network connecting more than 200 pediatric hospitals and care centers nationwide. PCX supports the Genesis Mission through the development of cross-cutting capabilities that create a privacy-preserving, AI-ready biomedical data foundation, enabling faster discovery, and stronger data integration.  

ARPA-H 101: Doing business with the agency

ARPA-H 101 insights is a great way to understand our nontraditional agency.

Assembling a research team: ARPA-H programs ask performers to offer solutions that are not evolutionary but revolutionary. That often means assembling teams of talented groups and individuals. Learn how we help connect them.

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DOE Opens $10 Million SBIR/STTR Phase I Funding Opportunity

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) has opened a new $10 million Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Phase I funding opportunity.  American small businesses developing technologies aligned with DOE's Genesis Mission are encouraged to submit pitches.  The Genesis Mission opportunity kicks off this year’s DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I funding opportunities, with additional technology topics expected later this fall. Through the Genesis Mission opportunity, DOE anticipates granting approximately 40 Phase I awards across four topic areas: biotechnology, quantum computing and networking, advanced materials, and AI-driven autonomous laboratories.  In addition to the Phase I opportunity, DOE is also opening approximately $147 million in DOE SBIR/STTR Phase II funding opportunities, supporting eligible small businesses as they continue advancing technologies toward commercialization.  Read the full announcement.

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America's Seed Fund Summit

Planning to pursue DOE SBIR/STTR funding? Speak with our team during the SBA America's Seed Fund Summit “Meet the Program Directors” session on Wednesday, July 29, from 3–4 p.m. ET.

This free virtual session is an opportunity to connect directly with DOE representatives, ask questions about the SBIR/STTR programs, and learn more about funding opportunities for innovative small businesses. Register today: America’s Seed Fund Summit