Our Story
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) was established in 2022 to accelerate better health outcomes for everyone. See how we’re making progress towards our mission!
March 15, 2022
ARPA-H receives $1B from Congress in appropriated funds for the agency's first three years.
After numerous public listening sessions and input from the White House and National Institutes of Health, ARPA-H is born. The agency is modeled after DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and focused on revolutionary biomedical research and technologies.
May 25, 2022
Adam Russell, Ph.D., is appointed as Acting Deputy Director of ARPA-H.
HHS Secretary Becerra simultaneously establishes ARPA-H within NIH as an independent entity that reports directly to the secretary.
September 12, 2022
Renee Wegrzyn, Ph.D. selected as the inaugural ARPA-H director.
She is sworn in on October 12. The agency’s deputy director, Susan Monarez, Ph.D., is appointed three months later on January 6, 2023.
October 25, 2022
Wegrzyn presents her vision and shares a discussion with Hugh Mighty, MD, Senior Vice President of Health Affairs when ARPA-H hosts its first event at Howard University.
The agency is committed to having early conversations with the communities that will one day benefit from ARPA-H advances.
November 14, 2022
ARPA-H goes public, launching its website and first social media channels on LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Wegrzyn's ARPA-H Director account follows shortly afterward.
December 29, 2022
Several aspects of ARPA-H are formally established with the passage of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act.
In addition to an additional $1.5B in budget, a federal employee cap, and exemptions from NIH policies, ARPA-H is given a mandate for offices in three geographic locations off of NIH’s campus.
February 13, 2023
ARPA-H's first Program Managers (PMs) Paul Sheehan, Ph.D., and Ross Uhrich, DMD, arrive in February.
By the end of 2023, there are 13 PMs on staff in two of the four Mission Offices.
March 15, 2023
ARPA-H celebrates its first birthday with an agency-wide Open Broad Agency Announcement, the Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes (DASH) public idea competition, and a kick-off event to establish formal office locations.
The agency announces it will be located at three hubs, with one in the National Capital Region, and two hubs – a Customer Experience Hub and an Investor Catalyst Hub – to be selected through a competitive process.
May 18, 2023
ARPA-H Launches its first program, NITRO, or Novel Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis.
The program is led by Ross Uhrich, DMD, in the Health Science Futures Mission Office.
July 27, 2023
ARPA-H launches PSI, or Precision Surgical Interventions, the agency’s second program and first related to cancer, addressing the Biden-Harris Administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative.
PSI is led by Ileana Hancu, Ph.D., in the Health Science Futures Mission Office.
August 23, 2023
Just five months after the Open BAA was released, ARPA-H announces the first funded project, CUREIT, to develop mRNA technologies to train the immune system to better fight cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious disease.
The Open BAA awards six more projects covering topics from cancer to antibiotic resistance by the end of the year.
September 26, 2023
A nationwide health innovation network is born with the launch of ARPANET-H.
With three hubs and dozens of collaborative spokes, ARPANET-H engages communities across the country and across the health care ecosystem.
September 29, 2023
ARPA-H launches REACT, or Resilient Extended Automatic Cell Therapies, the first program in the Resilient Systems Mission Office.
REACT is led by Paul Sheehan, Ph.D., and aims to usher in the next generation of bioelectronic devices for monitoring and drug delivery.
October 18, 2023
The ARPANET-H's physical Customer Experience Hub opens its doors in Dallas, TX.
At the opening event in Dallas, ARPA-H launches Advancing Clinical Trial Readiness, or ACTR, the first initiative within ARPANET-H. The goal of ACTR is to enable more Americans to easily take part in a clinical trial near their home.
October 26, 2023
One week later, ARPANET-H's Investor Catalyst Hub officially opens its doors in Cambridge, MA.
The Investor Catalyst Hub focuses on supporting the commercialization of revolutionary breakthroughs.
February 21, 2024
As part of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, ARPA-H committed $100 million to transform women’s health.
The ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health funded unconventional approaches and innovative ways to accelerate biomedical research focused on women’s health outcomes.
March 26, 2024
ARPA-H's first program NITRO selects teams to lead breakthroughs in reversing osteoarthritis.
NITRO, led by Program Manager Ross Uhrich, DMD, MBA, has five performer teams to work across three technical areas to develop innovative ways for joints to heal themselves. The kickoff event was held at Cherokee Nation the following week.