Sprint for Women's Health

Stored: Sprint for Women's Health

Sprint for Women's Health

Type	Initiative
Sponsor Organization	Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
Top Organization	United States Department of Health and Human Services
Creation Legislation	Authorized under ARPA-H's broader mission by the ARPA-H Authorization Act
Website	Website
Purpose	To address critical unmet challenges in women's health across all demographics, geographies, and socioeconomic statuses, championing transformative innovations for health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.
Program Start	February 2024
Initial Funding	$100 million
Duration	Expected to be 24 months per project
Historic	No

Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) launched the Sprint for Women's Health initiative to revolutionize research and development in women's health by focusing on transformative innovations.

This initiative is part of the broader White House Initiative on Women's Health Research, aiming to close gaps in women's health research and deliver innovative solutions.

Official Site

Goals

• Fundamentally change the trajectory of women's health care by accelerating breakthroughs in women’s health research.
• Champion transformative innovations to address conditions disproportionately affecting women.
• Close research gaps in women's health across different demographics, geographies, and socioeconomic statuses.
• Engage a diverse mix of scientific visionaries to drive innovations ranging from early-stage research to near-market solutions.

Organization

The Sprint for Women's Health is organized by ARPA-H, with project oversight by ARPA-H Program Managers. The initiative collaborates with the ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub for commercialization support. Funding comes from ARPA-H's budget, with an initial commitment of $100 million. The governance includes a selection process managed by ARPA-H staff, choosing projects based on their potential for impact and innovation.

The title/position of the leader for this initiative is typically **Program Manager**.

History

Launched in February 2024, the Sprint for Women's Health was part of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, announced by First Lady Jill Biden. This initiative was a direct response to the need for more focused research in women's health, which historically has been underfunded and under-researched. The ARPA-H Authorization Act provided the legislative backing for ARPA-H's activities, including this initiative.

Funding

The Sprint for Women's Health was initially funded with $100 million, announced in February 2024. This funding supports projects through two tracks: "Spark" for early-stage research and "Launchpad" for later-stage development. The initiative's funding is part of ARPA-H's annual budget, with no specified end date for the initiative itself, but individual projects are expected to last about 24 months.

Implementation

The initiative employs a two-track funding mechanism:

• **Spark Track** focuses on early-stage research (TRL 1-4) with funding up to $3 million per project.
• **Launchpad Track** supports later-stage development (TRL 5+) with projects potentially receiving up to $10 million.

Projects are selected after a competitive process involving solution summaries and pitch sessions. The initiative does not have a defined end date but operates on a project-by-project basis.

Related

• Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
• White House Initiative on Women's Health Research

External links

• https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/sprint-for-womens-health
• wikipedia:Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

Social media

• No specific accounts for Sprint for Women's Health; however, ARPA-H can be followed at:
• https://twitter.com/ARPA_H
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/arpa-h/