ARPA-H Launches Six Health Programs in Two Weeks, From Biosensors to Cancer Trials
March 15, 2026 · 2 min read
Jared Klein
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health launched six new research programs in the first two weeks of March, the most concentrated burst of program activity since the agency's founding — signaling an aggressive push to deploy its $1.5 billion FY2026 budget.
The March Lineup
The new programs span an unusually wide range of health challenges:
- DELPHI (March 10): A next-generation biosensor platform designed to accelerate device development by giving researchers modular "chiplets" for real-time biological signal monitoring.
- GLIDE (March 3): Targets the lymphatic system — one of medicine's most understudied networks — for disease prevention and treatment.
- OCULAB (March 3): Develops eye-based health monitoring that turns routine eye exams into comprehensive diagnostic tools.
- PCX / Pediatric Care eXpansion (March 11): Aims to extend advanced pediatric care capabilities beyond major children's hospitals.
- ADAPT (February 12, with March updates): Focuses on interventional cancer clinical trials, streamlining the path from bench to bedside.
- PROSPR (February 24): Tackles healthy aging research with an emphasis on extending healthspan.
Additionally, ARPA-H issued a request for information on March 13 seeking input on standardized micro- and nano-plastics research methods.
Why the Acceleration Matters
ARPA-H operates fundamentally differently from NIH. Programs are milestone-driven with 3-5 year timescales, project managers have broad authority to redirect funding based on results, and the agency explicitly seeks high-risk approaches that traditional grant mechanisms won't touch.
For health researchers, each program launch represents a new funding pipeline with its own solicitation timeline. ARPA-H typically moves from program announcement to broad agency announcement within weeks, and applicants should monitor arpa-h.gov/explore-funding for forthcoming solicitations.
Researchers working in biosensors, lymphatic biology, ophthalmology diagnostics, pediatric medicine, or oncology clinical trial design should watch these programs closely. Granted tracks ARPA-H and other federal funding announcements as they publish. More analysis of ARPA-H's expanding portfolio is available on the Granted blog.