Master Announcement Instructions (MAI) | ARPA H MAI 24 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for ARPA H MAI 24 01

The Master Announcement Instructions (MAI), ARPA-H MAI 24 01, is a standing set of instructions from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) meant to standardize how applicants respond to future ARPA-H "Module Announcements." It is not, by itself, a funding solicitation you apply to directly. Instead, it functions as a common rulebook that module-specific solicitations will reference, so applicants do not have to relearn a different format and submission process each time.

A central goal of the MAI is to introduce tiered proposal submission requirements, meaning the application burden is scaled to the size and complexity of the effort being proposed. In practical terms, smaller or more limited-scope efforts are intended to require less writing and fewer supporting details than larger, higher-dollar efforts. Another stated objective is to reduce the upfront cost and pricing workload, lowering barriers for non-traditional performers that may not have the infrastructure or experience to assemble extensive cost documentation early in the process. The expectation is that module announcements that point back to the MAI will explain exactly how the tiers apply for that specific opportunity and what materials are required at each tier.

Eligibility is framed broadly at the module level: any responsible source capable of meeting the government need may submit a proposal in response to a module announcement. The notice specifically calls out universities, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and other-than-small businesses as eligible and encouraged participants. The MAI also includes updated language related to Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and government entities, reflecting how those organizations may be addressed within the overall submission and eligibility framework when a module announcement incorporates the MAI requirements.

Amendment 1, dated June 25, 2024, updates the MAI in several administrative and procedural ways. It makes administrative edits across multiple sections (including 1.1, 1.2, 2.1.2, 3.1, 3.2, and 5.2.6), replaces Section 2.1.1 with new language dealing specifically with FFRDCs and government entities, and updates the evaluation criteria by revising Evaluation Criteria #2 in Section 4.2 to remove a reference to government entities (with the note that this particular removal is not highlighted). It also changes terminology throughout the document from "Abstract" to "Solution Summaries" without changing the underlying intent, updates proposal submission instructions in Sections 3.2, and removes the Stage 2 Notification Letter from Section 5.1. The amendment notes that changes are highlighted in yellow, except for the one evaluation-criteria edit described above.

The opportunity listing also clarifies a naming issue: the title has been revised to reduce confusion, because it should have been labeled "Master Announcement Instruction (MAI)" rather than "ARPA-H BDF Tool Box." Administrative details in the listing describe the instrument type as a cooperative agreement under a discretionary program, with activity categories spanning health and science and technology research and development, and the CFDA/Assistance Listing number shown as 93.384. The listing includes an original closing date of October 20, 2024, but the key practical point remains that applicants should not submit proposals to the MAI itself; proposals are submitted only in response to a specific module announcement that incorporates the MAI instructions and provides the module-specific requirements, scope, and tier structure.

• The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health in the health, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Master Announcement Instructions (MAI)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.384.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ARPA H MAI 24 01

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