New Open Funding Opportunities:

• Bone Marrow Failure Research Program

• Combat Readiness Medical Research Program 

• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program

• Hearing Restoration Research Program

• Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program 

• Kidney Cancer Research Program

• Lung Cancer Research Program

• Melanoma Research Program

• Neurofibromatosis Research Program

• Orthopaedic Research Program 

• Ovarian Cancer Research Program

• Pancreatic Cancer Research Program 

• Parkinson's Research Program

• Prostate Cancer Research Program

• Rare Cancers Research Program

• Reconstructive Transplant Research Program

• Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program

• Toxic Exposures Research Program

• Vision Research Program

Interested in learning more about CDMRP program priorities, funding opportunities and strategies for success? Visit CDMRP at MHSRS August 3 – 6 in the registration area. CDMRP will also have a breakout session on August 4, 1300 – 1500 to share more on Medical Research Funding Opportunities.

New Vaccine Platforms (NVP) Program – Coming Soon 

FASTPASS (Fast Assessment of Solutions, Therapeutics, Pharmaceuticals, and Supplies) is an initiative focused on improving pharmaceutical supply chain safety. The program aims to develop technologies that can rapidly assess the quality and safety of medicines without opening their packaging.

The Challenge: Drug-related illness and death cost the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $528 billion annually, and drug recalls affect medications used by more than 150 million Americans each year. Many recalls occur only after patients have already been exposed to potentially unsafe products. Current testing methods for imported pharmaceuticals are time-consuming, and only a small percentage of shipments are sampled and tested at ports of entry.

Program Goal: FASTPASS seeks to enable pharmaceutical shipments to be screened in minutes rather than weeks by creating rapid, non-destructive technologies capable of evaluating products through their packaging. These tools could be used at ports, warehouses, and distribution centers to identify substandard, contaminated, or counterfeit medicines before they reach patients

Funding Opportunity Timeline:

• Solicitation release expected: Mid-August 2026
• Proposer Workshop (Virtual): August 24, 2026
• Workshop registration deadline: August 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
• Solicitation details will be posted on SAM.gov after release

HEARING (Hearing Enhancement through ARtificially Intelligent NeurotechnoloGy) is a program focused on transforming how hearing loss is treated. Rather than viewing hearing loss solely as an ear problem, the program aims to develop brain-driven technologies that work directly with the auditory cortex to improve a person's ability to understand speech and sounds in complex environments. 

The Challenge: More than 70 million Americans live with hearing loss, resulting in over $200 billion annually in medical costs, lost wages, and reduced productivity. Age-related hearing loss is the second most common health problem among older adults. Even today's most advanced hearing aids and cochlear implants often struggle in noisy, real-world environments such as restaurants, social gatherings, and workplaces. 

Current hearing devices primarily respond to external sounds and cannot determine which sounds a user wants to focus on. As a result, users may have difficulty separating speech from background noise. ARPA-H notes that hearing loss is often treated as an ear problem when many of the challenges occur in the brain's auditory cortex, which is responsible for filtering noise and interpreting speech.

Program Goal: The HEARING program seeks to develop the first minimally invasive, brain-driven hearing system that works in partnership with the auditory cortex to help users better understand speech and navigate noisy environments.

Funding Opportunity Information:

Notice ID: ARPA-H-SOL-26-154

Key Dates

• Solution Summary Due: June 29, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET
• Full Proposal Due: August 14, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET
• Submission of a Solution Summary is required before a full proposal may be submitted

REST (Restorative & health-Enhancing Sleep Time) focuses on transforming how sleep quality is measured, understood, and improved. The program aims to develop technologies that can objectively assess sleep quality at home and provide personalized, real-time interventions to improve sleep and health outcomes.

The Challenge: Nearly half of Americans experience poor sleep, and approximately 86 million adults suffer from insomnia. Poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of depression, dementia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions, contributing to an estimated $400 billion annual economic burden. 

While sleep researchers can measure how long people sleep and identify sleep stages, today's methods do not adequately determine whether sleep is restorative or contributing to better health. As a result, current treatments for poor sleep and insomnia are ineffective for more than 70% of individuals seeking relief.

Program Goal: REST seeks to redefine sleep quality by focusing on measurable health outcomes rather than traditional metrics such as sleep duration or sleep stage classification. The program aims to develop technologies that can both assess and improve sleep in home environments.

Funding Opportunity Information:

Notice ID: ARPA-H-SOL-26-159 

Key Dates

• Solution Summary Due: August 12, 2026
• Full Proposal Due: Anticipated Fall 2026 (invited submissions only)
• Submission of a Solution Summary is required before a full proposal can be considered

Multiscale Reasoning For Human Physiology RFI

Convergence Special NoticeIndustry Day for Proposers

The Convergence program aims to integrate biology and engineering to develop advanced environmental microbial biosensors designed to safeguard defense personnel. By utilizing carefully designed, non-pathogenic microbial consortia (employing highly characterized and safe host species like E. coli as a biological platform), the program aims to enable the remote, distributed detection of environmental hazards, including chemical analytes, and pharmaceutical agents, in operational and austere environments.

INDUSTRY DAY DATE: August 20th, 2026 
LOCATION: DARPA Conference Center 
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: August 12th, 2026, or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first 
REGISTRATION WEBSITE: https://events.sa-meetings.com/ConvergenceIndustryDay 

Pfizer Optimizing Maternal RSV Immunization Delivery: A Systems-Based Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Uptake, Equity, and Newborn Outcomes

Pfizer Implementing Shared Decision Making in Hemophilia Patient Care

Advancing Outbreak Detection, Notification, and Response Capacity by Implementing 7-1-7 in Partner Countries

Forecast: Early-Stage Innovative Technology Development for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Advanced Differential Diagnostics (ADD) – Forecasted Q4FY27

Addressing Substance Use PCORI Funding Announcement -- Cycle 3 2026

Topic areas of interest include: 

1. Evidence-Based Strategies to Advance Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders  
2. Evidence-Based Interventions for Overdose Prevention 
3. Strategies To Reduce Nicotine and Tobacco Use 
4. Treatment Strategies Addressing the Intersection of Poor Sleep and Substance Misuse/Substance Use Disorder

Important Dates: 

• Applicant Town Hall

Aug. 18, 2026; 12 – 1 pm (ET)

• Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline
  Sept. 9, 2026; 5 pm (ET)
• LOI Status Notification
  Oct. 14, 2026
• Application Deadline
  Jan. 12, 2027; 5 pm (ET)