About Us
The Project Accelerator Transition Innovation Office (PATIO) helps to translate scientific and technological breakthroughs into real-world products and services. We deliver impact through a suite of services provided to Program Managers and ARPA-H funded performers.
What does success look like? For us, success is when ARPA-H-funded technology graduates from the agency, survives in the wild, and accelerates better health outcomes for all Americans.
PATIO Services
Our services span the lifecycle of ARPA-H projects and programs, from concept development to graduation. ARPA-H encourages a sense of urgency, from term limits on Program Managers to time-bound, aggressive technical milestones on our R&D efforts. This urgency means we have to start paving the path to success at the same time as we are developing the science.
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Program Design
- Identify opportunities and gaps
- Market/IP assessment
- Regulatory assessment
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Solicitation Deployment
- Who are possible performers?
- Develop technical areas
- Validate transition potential
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Early Program Performance
- De-risk for investors
- Demystify regulatory process
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Mature Projects
- Safeguard IP
- Help company formation
- Business strategy, legal and marketing services
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Transition and Commercialize
- SBIR/STTR
- Transition partner/third-party investment
- Ongoing mentorship
- Access to key customers and investors
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Regulatory Support
The mission of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is to ensure the safety, efficacy, and security of health innovations. ARPA-H builds unprecedented technologies that nobody else can, which may not fit into traditional FDA approval pathways. Without a strategy, the regulatory process quickly becomes unclear and prohibitively expensive to navigate, especially for a small lab, business, or non-traditional performer. PATIO works closely with the FDA and external regulatory experts to demystify the process, provide consultation directly to performers and programs, and coordinate with regulators. We also provide similar services to help performers navigate CMS and get reimbursement approval for their new technologies.
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Customer Discovery
ARPA-H is a solution-based organization; it does not conduct basic or incremental research. To have a solution means solving a well-defined problem. Customer discovery is the process of understanding the person or people for whom you are solving the problem. For example, if an innovation helps a surgeon, PATIO will help ensure that performers understand the hospital workflow, payment considerations, and user experience of a surgeon.
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Mentors and Coaches
We are invested in the long-term success of performers, so we provide expert guidance on areas like business models and intellectual property. We recognize that this support is especially important for young and newly formed companies.
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Ecosystem Engagement
Program Managers are central nodes in their networks and possess the domain expertise and credibility to influence the dialogue. The best programs cross disciplines, and PATIO serves as a personal network – available on demand – connecting them with other domains, including top investors, entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and technical experts.
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Market Assessments
To help with program formation, PATIO conducts rigorous assessments to measure the potential impact of the technologies being developed, avoid duplication with other federal agencies and the private sector, and to determine the program’s transition potential.
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PATIO VoicesThe PATIO team has been an invaluable partner in the successful construction, launch, and execution of our first ARPA-H programs. The team actively engages with Program Managers, listening to and anticipating our needs.
Given that successful commercialization of cutting-edge biotechnology requires more than superior science, PATIO’s services will likely be the difference between success and failure for ARPA-H.
Dr. Ross Uhrich, ARPA-H Program Manager
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PATIO Voices
PATIO helped me identify blind spots that could keep my performers from bringing their developments to market.
Dr. Ileana Hancu, ARPA-H Program Manager
How We Define Success
We measure our success by producing technologies that grow beyond ARPA-H and survive without perpetual ARPA-H funding. These are the most common transition pathways for ARPA-H program performers:
- Large, established companies with existing infrastructure for development and sales & distribution.
- Venture capital-backed emerging companies with demonstrated commitment to a technology’s domain area.
- De novo startups capable of attracting venture capital or other funding.
- Health care systems or other provider networks that can deploy the licensed technology directly through their care network.
- Government health care systems such as the VA that can deploy the licensed technology directly through their care network.
- Existing large-scale NGOs or other non-profit entities that commit to making the technology broadly available as a public good.
- Startup NGOs or non-profit entities capable of attracting funding to make the technology broadly available as a public good.
PATIO Service Teams
PATIO has three service teams, each strengthening programs in different ways:
ARPANET-H
ARPANET-H is our formal and growing nation-wide network of partners. It consists of two consortia: a customer experience network focused on people (patients, communities, providers), and an investor catalyst network focused on markets (commercialization, regulatory, reimbursement). Partners participate in ARPA-H projects, compete for B2B style contracts, obtain support, and join a community of likeminded organizations.
Health Ecosystem Engagement Team (HEET)
HEET cultivates a multidisciplinary, on-demand ecosystem that represents our broad cross-section of stakeholders. HEET proactively organizes ecosystem trips to ensure we incorporate different perspectives and develop relationships with people and groups across the country. These trips can take the form of anything from arranging ARPA-H participation at major speaking events to small group interactions and informal discussions.
Technology, Transfer, and Transition Services (T3X)
T3X advises Program Managers and performers in three ways: regulatory support, reimbursement/payment assistance, and market dynamics research. This support happens during concept development and throughout performance to ensure solutions survive not just in the lab but also in the real world. This expertise comes from successful founders, entrepreneurs, and others with successful track records in business. T3X also runs ARPA-H’s small business program, finding innovative ways to work with small and disadvantaged companies.
