BOSTON–A new effort was launched to rally support for locating the newly-funded federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) in Massachusetts.
The effort includes top leaders from Massachusetts higher education, industry and government convened by Governor Charlie Baker, U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means Chair Richard E. Neal, University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan, and MassBio CEO Joe Boncore.
ARPA-H was created by the Biden Administration to accelerate research aimed at preventing and curing diseases ranging from infectious disease, chronic disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. The March 2022 omnibus passed by Congress and signed into law by the President invested $1 billion to launch ARPA-H. The President’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal includes an additional $6.5 billion in funding for ARPA-H for the next three years.
The agency is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is designed to be more agile than the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ARPA-H does not yet have an agency headquarters.
“Massachusetts is a global hub for health care research, life sciences, and academia, making our state a highly attractive place for the headquarters of the new ARPA-H agency,” said Governor Baker. “We look forward to working with our partners in government, higher education and the vibrant life sciences and health care sectors of our economy to make a strong case for the Commonwealth to be the home of this exciting new agency.”
“Massachusetts has the finest hospitals, colleges and universities, and biotech sector in the world,” said Chairman Neal. “When it comes to healthcare, higher education, and innovation, we are at the forefront of global leadership. Massachusetts is an international hub for medical research and development, which is why our state is the best location for ARPA-H. I am eager to make this a reality.”
“There is no place in the world better equipped than Massachusetts to host the ARPA-H agency and accelerate innovation through biomedical research,” said President Meehan. “As we have learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we need to be faster and more proactive in confronting global health threats, and this new initiative will advance that mission.”
“Massachusetts has the highest density of biopharma research and development in the country, supported by world-class talent, universities, hospitals, and other research institutions,” said MassBio’s Boncore. “Locating ARPA-H’s headquarters here would enable the federal government to tap into our incredible life sciences ecosystem and leverage the Commonwealth’s synergistic network across industries, research institutions, and the scientific community. Massachusetts has all the ingredients today to unlock the rapid acceleration in biomedical research and development that is ARPA-H’s stated mission.”
With several states expected to pursue the headquarters for ARPA-H, Baker, Neal, Meehan, and Boncore stressed the importance of rapidly building the strongest possible case for Massachusetts, grounded by the concentration of world-class research universities, hospitals, companies, and a bi-partisan commitment in government to build the life sciences ecosystem.
Massachusetts continues to see solid indicators of the strength of the life sciences industry and the outsized role the state plays nationally. 18 of the top 20 biopharma companies in the world have a presence in Massachusetts. In 2021, Massachusetts saw a record-breaking 70 percent increase in venture capital (VC) funding, representing 36 percent of the total national VC biopharma investments. Demand for lab space remains high as companies are eager to be in Massachusetts; the state has built and filled over 21.6 million square feet of lab space over the last ten years, with a projected 20 million new square feet in the next 5 years.
For over a decade, Massachusetts has focused on sustaining and strengthening the Commonwealth’s nation-leading life sciences sector. In 2008, the Commonwealth made a $1 billion, 10-year commitment to solidify the state’s prominence in the life sciences. This ambitious effort, known as the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, created a body, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, charged with carrying out the initiative. In 2018, the Massachusetts Legislature passed, and Governor Baker signed legislation to invest up to $623 million in bond authorization and tax credits over five years in education, research and development, and workforce training.
The following individuals joined Governor Baker, Chairman Neal, President Meehan, and Boncore for a meeting at the UMass Club today to begin forming a statewide coalition to promote Massachusetts’ bid for the ARPA-H headquarters:
Paul Andrew, Vice President for Public Affairs & Communications, Harvard University
Jay Ash, President & CEO, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership
Jake Auchincloss, Congressman, MA 4th Congressional District
Robert Brown, President, Boston University
Julie Chen, Chancellor-Elect, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Robert Diamond, Partner, Capitol Counsel
Michael Firestone, Chief of Policy & Strategic Planning, City of Boston
John Fish, Chairman & CEO, Suffolk Construction
Elissa Flynn-Poppey, Chair of Government Law Practice, Mintz Levin
Mark Fuller, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Ari Glantz, Executive Director, New England Venture Capital Association
David Goldston, DC Office, MIT
Christine Heenan, Chief Communications Officer Executive Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Ann Jablon, Partner, Capitol Counsel
Brian Johnson, President, MassMEDIC
Paula Johnson, President, Wellesley College
Michael Kennealy, Secretary, Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development
Barbara Kroncke, Executive Director, UMass Building Authority
Father William Leahy, President, Boston College
David Madigan, Provost, Northeastern University
Ron Mariano, Speaker, Massachusetts House of Representatives
Edward Markey, U.S. Senator, Massachusetts
Robert McCarron, President, AICUM
Nikko Mendoza, State Director, Office of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren
Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, President & COO, MassBio
Peter Reinhart, Director IALS, UMass Amherst
James Rooney, President & CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
William Shaw, Vice Provost for Research, Tufts University
Michael Sroczynski, Senior Vice President, Massachusetts Hospital Association
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Boston
Kenn Turner, President & CEO, Mass Life Sciences Center
Steve Walsh, President & CEO, Massachusetts Hospital Association
