NITRO OA Model Symposium | ARPA H SN 23 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for ARPA H SN 23 01

The NITRO OA Model Symposium (Funding Opportunity Number ARPA-H SN 23 01) is a government-sponsored research-focused convening organized by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), specifically through its Health Science Futures Office. The purpose of the symposium is to bring together relevant experts and stakeholders to identify what the field should consider the most suitable osteoarthritis (OA) models for advancing therapy development, with an emphasis on two areas: large animal models that best mimic human osteoarthritis and in vitro (lab-based) model systems that can reliably reproduce key disease features in controlled settings. In practical terms, ARPA-H is trying to push the community toward better-aligned, higher-confidence model choices so that OA research and preclinical testing can become more predictive, comparable across teams, and ultimately more useful for translating concepts into treatments.

This symposium is tied to ARPA-Hs broader NITRO program goals. NITRO is centered on the problem that osteoarthritis remains difficult to treat in a way that restores joint structure and function, and current options often focus on managing symptoms or replacing the joint rather than rebuilding it. The program vision described here is to develop new approaches that help the human body repair its own joints. The symposium is intended to support that vision by zeroing in on foundational research infrastructure questions: which animal models most faithfully reflect human joint degeneration, pain, inflammation, biomechanics, and progression over time, and which in vitro systems can capture the biology needed for rapid iteration, screening, and mechanistic insight.

Although it is related to the NITRO Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), ARPA-H explicitly notes that the symposium is independent of the BAA. That distinction matters for organizations tracking funding pathways: the symposium is its own Special Notice and engagement opportunity, while the BAA is the formal mechanism through which ARPA-H may solicit and fund project proposals under the NITRO program. The listing points interested parties to the Special Notice attachment for full participation details and references the NITRO BAA on SAM.gov and Grants.gov for those exploring the main program solicitation and potential future funding submissions.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as "Other" rather than a standard grant program, with an activity category of Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and it lists CFDA number 93.384. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, which generally signals that participation is open to a broad range of entities rather than being limited to a specific applicant type, though any concrete requirements would be spelled out in the Special Notice. The original closing date shown is September 8, 2023, and the posting date is July 26, 2023. The notice does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided text, consistent with the idea that this is primarily a symposium-focused Special Notice rather than a conventional grant award announcement.

• The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NITRO OA Model Symposium" 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 2023-07-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-09-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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