Brain Repair of Any Injured Neural Structure (BRAINS)
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has posted an Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) for the Brain Repair of Any Injured Neural Structure (BRAINS) Exploratory Topic program. This initiative seeks to develop technologies for regrowing in situ normal region-specific brain tissue from transplanted precursor tissue, excluding the neocortex and spinal cord. ARPA-H anticipates multiple Other Transaction (OT) awards. A mandatory solution summary submission is required to proceed.
Scope of Work
The program is structured into two 9-month phases within each 18-month intake group. Proposals must address one or both of the following Technical Areas (TAs):
- TA1: Generate precursor tissue: Focuses on defining and generating region-specific precursor tissue, including identifying cellular/extracellular components and developing protocols for human iPSC-derived precursor cells.
- TA2: Engraftment POC with native fetal tissue: Aims to demonstrate proof-of-concept for surgical engraftment of precursor tissue into adult brains using non-human fetal precursor tissues.
Contract & Timeline
- Contract Type: Other Transaction (OT) Agreements
- Anticipated Awards: Multiple
- Funding: Phase I awards are expected to be $500,000 per team per TA, with a potential additional $500,000 per team per TA for Phase II.
- Submission Process: Two-step (Solution Summary then Full Proposal)
- Intake Group 1 Deadlines:
- Solution Summaries Due: July 9th, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
- Full Proposals Due: August 6th, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
- Intake Group 2 Deadlines:
- Solution Summaries Due: January 7th, 2027, 5:00 PM ET
- Full Proposals Due: February 6th, 2027, 5:00 PM ET
Evaluation
Full proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, in descending order of importance:
- Overall Scientific and Technical Merit
- Proposer's Capabilities and/or Related Experience
- Potential Contribution to Relevance to the ARPA-H Mission and User Experience
- Assessment of Proposed Cost/Price
Eligibility
Responsible sources are eligible, including universities, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and other than small businesses. Early career investigators are preferred. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government entities are generally prohibited from responding as prime or sub-performers. There is no specific set-aside designation for this opportunity.
Additional Notes
All proposers must have an active registration in SAM.gov. Exclusions include proposals offering incremental improvements, using human embryos or fetal tissue, or not addressing the topic objectives. Detailed instructions are provided in the ISO document ARPA-H-SOL-26-148.