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​
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.

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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.

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