UNifying Imaging with QUantum Entanglement (UNIQUE) Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO)

The ARPA‑H UNIQUE program seeks cutting‑edge research teams to develop quantum‑derived imaging technologies that can capture biological information beyond the reach of current modalities (X‑ray, MRI, PET). The effort is split into two technical areas (TA1 – hardware & detector development; TA2 – AI‑driven reconstruction & multimodal fusion) and runs for 18 months in two 9‑month phases. Teams must demonstrate feasibility of generating and measuring entangled 511 keV photon pairs, create phantom‑based quantum contrast, and build a computational pipeline that fuses quantum observables with anatomical, functional, and molecular data. Funding will be awarded through Other Transaction (OT) agreements, with monthly status reports, optional Proposers’ Day, and possible site visits. • 18‑month, two‑phase research effort (Phase 1 = 9 mo, Phase 2 = 9 mo) • TA1: quantum‑correlated photon source, detectors, phantom studies, ≥3 metabolic phantom states • TA2: physics‑informed AI reconstruction, multimodal data fusion, QDT/QDI atlas creation • Milestones include entanglement witness R > 1.6, timing <300 ps, flux >10⁵ pairs/s, and ≥3 distinguishable phantom states • Solution Summary due Oct 29 2026; Full Proposal due Dec 15 2026 • Open to U.S. universities, non‑profits, small and large businesses; FFRDCs prohibited as prime/sub‑performers • Awards will be OT agreements; cost‑share required for for‑profit entities > 1,000 employees.