Journal of Science Policy & Governance
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • JSPG Anniversary Page
    • Staff
    • Ambassadors
    • Boards >
      • Advisory Board
      • Governing Board
      • Editorial Board
    • Careers >
      • Associate Editor
      • Ambassador
    • Partners
    • Sponsorships
    • Contact
  • Volumes
    • Volume 22 Issue 01
    • GHFUTURES2030 Strengthening Youth-centered Policy and Governance of Digital Transformations in Health.
    • UNESCO AND MGCY OPEN SCIENCE POLICIES AS AN ACCELERATOR FOR ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
    • Volume 21 Issue 01 >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 21, Issue 1, Summer Standard Issue
    • JSPG and UCL STEAPP Special Topics: Innovations in Science Diplomacy >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 20, Issue 3, Special Issue on Innovations in Science Diplomacy
    • Sigma XI-JSPG Special Issue: Re-envisioning STEM Education and Workforce Development for the 21st Century
    • Volume 20 Issue 01
    • JSPG Volume 19 Issue 01 (10 Years of Publishing)
    • Special Issue: 2021 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Special Issue: Shaping the Future of Science Policy
    • JSPG-UK SIN Special Issue: Climate Change Solutions
    • Volume 18 Issue 01
    • Special Issue: 2020 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 17 Issue 01 (Supported by AAAS STPF)
    • JSPG-UN MGCY Special Issue: Impacts of Emerging Technologies
    • Volume 16 Issue 01
    • Volume 15 (Supported by CSPC)
    • Special Issue: 2019 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 14
    • Volume 13
    • Volume 12
    • Volume 11
    • Volume 10
    • Volume 9
    • Volume 8
    • Volume 7
    • Volume 6
    • JSPG-UCS Special Issue: Healthy Food Policy
    • Volume 5
    • Volume 4
    • Special Issue: Hot Topics 2013
    • Volume 3
    • Volume 2
    • Volume 1
  • Submit to JSPG
    • Special Topics Call for Submissions: Policy and Governance on Science, Technology and Global Security
    • Submission deadlines and guidelines
  • Announcements
    • News
    • Blog
  • Events
    • JSPG, APS FPS Events
    • Leadership chat series
  • Training
    • Writing
    • Resources
  • Media Mentions
  • Policy in action
  • Podcast

ARPA-H: Risky or Revolutionary? The Challenges and Opportunities of Biden’s New Biomedical Research Agency

Journal of Science Policy & Governance
Volume 21, Issue 01 | October 17, 2022

Policy Brief: ARPA-H: Risky or Revolutionary? The Challenges and Opportunities of Biden’s New Biomedical Research Agency

Soumya Somani1 
Rice University, Houston, Texas
​
​
Corresponding author:
ss220@rice.edu
​
DowNLOAD PDF
Keywords: biomedical research; health equity; National Institutes of Health (NIH); science policy
https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG210107​

Executive Summary

The acceleration of COVID-19 testing platforms and vaccine development has demonstrated the possibility of expediting research for similar biomedical breakthroughs. However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) lacks a framework to regularly sustain this type of research. A new federal agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), offers a unique opportunity to capitalize on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and drive federal investment into high-risk, high-reward biomedical research. ARPA-H will mirror the flat bureaucratic structure of the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) through the employment of independent project managers. ARPA-H is also unique in how it centers equity in the agency's core mission. These unique traits could enable the agency to fill the gaps in current biomedical research under the NIH. Nonetheless, ARPA-H’s implementation is not without challenges: its incorporation within the NIH has raised concerns regarding its ability to specialize in high-risk research and the diversion of funding away from the rest of the NIH. These worries can be mitigated through the separation of ARPA-H and the NIH. Successful implementation of the ARPA-H framework would supplement current NIH work, diversify the US federal research strategy, accelerate promising breakthroughs, promote equity in health, and transform the nature of biomedical research in the US.

-Read the full article through download.-

DOWNLOAD PDF
<< Previous Article
Next Article >>

Background header image courtesy of AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Soumya Somani is an undergraduate student at Rice University pursuing a degree in health science and social policy analysis. Soumya conducts research in federal science policy as a student intern at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and has previously researched at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Soumya is interested in how science policy shapes the healthcare environment in the US. In the future, Soumya hopes to contribute to public health policy to promote equity in medicine. 

Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge Dr. Kenneth Evans at the Baker Institute for Public Policy for helpful feedback and guidance in earlier versions of the manuscript.

References

  1. 2022. “Washington Update: Fiscal Year 2022 Funding for NIH Is Signed into Law.” American Society of Human Genetics. American Society of Human Genetics. March 17, 2022. https://www.ashg.org/policy/washington-update-fiscal-year-2022-funding-for-nih-is-signed-into-law/. 
  2. Britt, Rachel. 2020. “NIH to Fund Cohort Recruitment and Development Program to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion Among Biomedical Faculty.” National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. December 8, 2020. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-fund-cohort-recruitment-development-program-enhance-diversity-inclusion-among-biomedical-faculty.  
  3. Collins, Francis S., Tara A. Schwetz, Lawrence A. Tabak, and Eric S. Lander. 2021. “ARPA-H: Accelerating Biomedical Breakthroughs.” Science 373 (6551): 165–67. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj8547.  
  4. Cook-Deegan, Robert. 1997. “Does NIH Need a DARPA?” Issues in Science and Technology 13 (2): 453–60. https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0184.15.  
  5. Farooq, Faheem, Peter J. Mogayzel, Sophie Lanzkron, Carlton Haywood, and John J. Strouse. 2020. “Comparison of US Federal and Foundation Funding of Research for Sickle Cell Disease and Cystic Fibrosis and Factors Associated with Research Productivity.” JAMA Network Open 3 (3). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.1737.  
  6. Grumbach, Kevin, Linda B. Cottler, Jen Brown, Monique LeSarre, Ricardo F. Gonzalez-Fisher, Carla D. Williams, J. Lloyd Michener, et al. 2021. “It Should Not Require a Pandemic to Make Community Engagement in Research Leadership Essential, Not Optional.” Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2021.8.
  7. Hunt, Sinead, and Christa Wagner. 2022a. “House of Representatives Passes Bills on Mental Health, ARPA-H.” Washington Highlights. Association of American Medical Colleges. June 24, 2022. https://www.aamc.org/advocacy-policy/washington-highlights/house-representatives-passes-bills-mental-health-arpa-h.
  8. Hunt, Sinead, and Christa Wagner. 2022b. “HHS Secretary Outlines ARPA-H Plan, Other Budget Priorities at House Hearing.” Association of American Medical Colleges. Association of American Medical Colleges. April 1, 2022. https://www.aamc.org/advocacy-policy/washington-highlights/hhs-secretary-outlines-arpa-h-plan-other-budget-priorities-house-hearing  
  9. Kaiser, Jocelyn. 2021. “As Plan for New U.S. Health Agency to Speed Treatments Takes Shape, Doubts Remain.” Science, May. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj7390.  
  10. Lee, Bruce Y. 2021. “President Biden Proposes ARPA-H, New $6.5 Billion Health Entity to Transform How Research Is Done.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine. July 7, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/07/06/president-biden-proposes-arpa-h-new-65-billion-health-entity-to-transform-how-research-is-done/?sh=7e1264774dab.
  11. Peterson, Andrea. 2022. “NIH Budget: FY22 Outcomes and FY23 Request.” American Institute of Physics. American Institute of Physics. May 4, 2022. https://www.aip.org/fyi/2022/nih-budget-fy22-outcomes-and-fy23-request.
  12. Prabhakar, Arati. 2021. “How to Unlock the Potential of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Model.” Innovation & Economic Competitiveness. Day One Project. June 3, 2021. https://www.dayoneproject.org/ideas/how-to-unlock-the-potential-of-the-advanced-research-projects-agency-model.   
  13. Savage, Lucia C, and Lisa Simpson. 2021. “An Open Letter to ARPA-H Designers: 5 Guiding Principles from Health Services Research.” Health Affairs Forefront, November. https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20211124.827706.
  14. Serebrov, Mari. 2022. “US Lawmakers Question Budget Fulcrum for ARPA-H, NIH.” BioWorld. Clarivate. May 11, 2022. https://www.bioworld.com/articles/518722-us-lawmakers-question-budget-fulcrum-for-arpa-h-nih?v=preview.
  15. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. 2021. “Millions Meant for Public Health Threats Were Diverted Elsewhere, Watchdog Says.” The New York Times. The New York Times. January 27, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/us/politics/barda-public-health-watchdog.html. 
  16. Swartz, Talia H, Ann-Gel S Palermo, Sandra K Masur, and Judith A Aberg. 2019. “The Science and Value of Diversity: Closing the Gaps in Our Understanding of Inclusion and Diversity.” The Journal of Infectious Diseases 220 (Supplement_2): 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz174.  
  17. Taffe, Michael A, and Nicholas W Gilpin. 2021. “Racial Inequity in Grant Funding from the US National Institutes of Health.” ELife 10 (January). https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.65697.​
  18. Tollefson, Jeff. 2021. “The Rise of ‘ARPA-Everything’ and What It Means for Science.” Nature 595 (7868): 483–84. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01878-z.
  19. US Congressional Budget Office. 2021. “DiscretionarySpending in Fiscal Year 2020.” Congressional Budget Office. April 30, 2021. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57172.

DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions published herein are solely attributed to the author and not necessarily endorsed or adopted by the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Articles are distributed in compliance with copyright and trademark agreements.

ISSN 2372-2193
Picture
© 2022 Journal of Science Policy & Governance, Inc. All rights reserved. The opinions, findings and conclusions from JSPG publications and events do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal.
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • JSPG Anniversary Page
    • Staff
    • Ambassadors
    • Boards >
      • Advisory Board
      • Governing Board
      • Editorial Board
    • Careers >
      • Associate Editor
      • Ambassador
    • Partners
    • Sponsorships
    • Contact
  • Volumes
    • Volume 22 Issue 01
    • GHFUTURES2030 Strengthening Youth-centered Policy and Governance of Digital Transformations in Health.
    • UNESCO AND MGCY OPEN SCIENCE POLICIES AS AN ACCELERATOR FOR ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
    • Volume 21 Issue 01 >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 21, Issue 1, Summer Standard Issue
    • JSPG and UCL STEAPP Special Topics: Innovations in Science Diplomacy >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 20, Issue 3, Special Issue on Innovations in Science Diplomacy
    • Sigma XI-JSPG Special Issue: Re-envisioning STEM Education and Workforce Development for the 21st Century
    • Volume 20 Issue 01
    • JSPG Volume 19 Issue 01 (10 Years of Publishing)
    • Special Issue: 2021 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Special Issue: Shaping the Future of Science Policy
    • JSPG-UK SIN Special Issue: Climate Change Solutions
    • Volume 18 Issue 01
    • Special Issue: 2020 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 17 Issue 01 (Supported by AAAS STPF)
    • JSPG-UN MGCY Special Issue: Impacts of Emerging Technologies
    • Volume 16 Issue 01
    • Volume 15 (Supported by CSPC)
    • Special Issue: 2019 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 14
    • Volume 13
    • Volume 12
    • Volume 11
    • Volume 10
    • Volume 9
    • Volume 8
    • Volume 7
    • Volume 6
    • JSPG-UCS Special Issue: Healthy Food Policy
    • Volume 5
    • Volume 4
    • Special Issue: Hot Topics 2013
    • Volume 3
    • Volume 2
    • Volume 1
  • Submit to JSPG
    • Special Topics Call for Submissions: Policy and Governance on Science, Technology and Global Security
    • Submission deadlines and guidelines
  • Announcements
    • News
    • Blog
  • Events
    • JSPG, APS FPS Events
    • Leadership chat series
  • Training
    • Writing
    • Resources
  • Media Mentions
  • Policy in action
  • Podcast