Systems for Phenotypic Evaluation, Clinical Trajectories, Response, and Agency (SPECTRA)

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF · NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH · NIH ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY FOR HEALTH (ARPA-H) is soliciting Systems for Phenotypic Evaluation, Clinical Trajectories, Response, and Agency (SPECTRA). Solicitation number ARPA-H-SOL-26-163. Classified under NAICS 541715 — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). Product/service code AN13 — BIOMEDICAL (ADVANCED). Responses are due by 18 October 2026 21:00 UTC. Posted on SAM.gov, the US federal contract opportunities system; registration is required to bid.

SPECTRA will identify and act on autism trajectories, the evolving developmental paths individuals follow across the lifespan from the prenatal period through aging, spanning autism characteristics, co-occurring conditions, and functional outcomes together with the genetic, biological, behavioral, iatrogenic (medical influences), environmental factors and their nonlinear interactions. Rather than examining these factors in isolation, SPECTRA will examine how they combine and interact, including their nonlinear interactions, to produce autism and its co-occurring conditions over time. SPECTRA will also develop technologies that serve two purposes at once: extending reliable assessment beyond the clinic while improving everyday communication, function, and quality of life. The same tools people use to live more fully will also generate the data that drive measurement and personalized care.