A new, biotech-focused federal agency is setting up shop in Cambridge.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, will establish an "investor catalyst" hub just north of the Charles River, the agency announced Tuesday.
VentureWell, a Hadley-based nonprofit that helps manage federal health care programs, will run and manage the Massachusetts-based hub.
It's a major win for the politicians and business leaders who have been vying for a piece of the ARPA-H pie for more than a year. A group called "CHARM" — the Coalition for Health Advances & Research in Massachusetts — has been pushing for a Massachusetts-based ARPA-H site since President Joe Biden announced the new initiative.
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“This is a huge win for Massachusetts and an opportunity to bring economic development while strengthening our role as a nationwide leader in life sciences," Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. "This hub leverages our state's world-class life science ecosystem while building a national network of researchers and entrepreneurs to invest in meaningful solutions to the biggest health care challenges."
Representatives from MassBio, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the University of Massachusetts and more made their case in an open letter last November, noting that the Bay State is currently home to 18 of 20 of the largest biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The state also boasts 56 million square feet of lab and life sciences space and more than 100 colleges and universities, including multiple research hospitals.
Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao formalized the argument this spring. Over the course of March and April, she and industry representatives worked to finalize and submit electronic whitepapers, which were due on April 7. Much of the summer has consisted of waiting for the administration's review.
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The investor-focused Cambridge hub is one of three that ARPA-H announced on Tuesday. The agency is also setting up a "customer experience" hub in Dallas and a "stakeholder operations hub" near Washington, D.C., where ARPA-H's headquarters will also be based.
