Restorative and health-Enhancing Sleep Time (REST)

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is soliciting innovative proposals under the Restorative and health-Enhancing Sleep Time (REST) program to revolutionize sleep health through objective, home-based, closed-loop technologies that detect and respond to sleep microstructures in real time. The program aims to reduce by at least 50% the 10-year risk of chronic diseases linked to poor sleep—including dementia, depression, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes—by developing validated systems that measure, diagnose, and treat sleep dysfunction with precision. The technical scope is divided into two areas: Technical Area 1 (TA1) focuses on creating in-home systems for objective measurement and mechanistic classification of poor sleep using physiological signals, while Technical Area 2 (TA2) targets the development of integrated, noninvasive, closed-loop interventions that adapt in real time to individual sleep physiology to improve outcomes. The program is structured into three phased milestones over 66 months—Prove Tech (24 months), Proof-of-Concept (18 months), and Translation (24 months)—with specific technical benchmarks including AUC thresholds for insomnia diagnosis, sensitivity/specificity targets for sleep classification, and Pearson correlation standards for fidelity to polysomnography. Key milestones include IRB approvals by month 3, human subject enrollment by month 12, technology validation and FDA submissions by month 39, and final site visits and demonstrations between months 63 and 66. Proposals must be submitted in two stages: a Solution Summary, due by August 12, 2026, at 12pm ET, and a Full Proposal for those invited to proceed. The Solution Summary must be submitted via https://solutions.arpa-h.gov/events, adhere to strict formatting rules including 12-point Avenir Next LT Pro font, and comply with page limits of six pages for single TA or eight pages for both TAs, excluding cover pages, basis of estimate, cost share strategy, and citations. Only invited proposers may submit a Full Proposal, which includes an in-person pitch—45 minutes for one TA or 60 minutes for both—and supporting documentation divided into five volumes: a four-page Technical Proposal, an unrestricted Cost/Price Proposal, a two-page Human or Animal Subjects Research section, a Data Management and Security Plan, and up to five pages of qualifications per key personnel. Evaluation is based on scientific and technical merit, feasibility, innovation, proposer capability, and budget