The University of Kentucky has been selected as a spoke for the Investor Catalyst Hub, a regional hub of ARPANET-H, a nationwide health innovation network launched by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

UK Innovate — UK’s innovation, entrepreneurship and economic enterprise for University of Kentucky Research — is leading the initiative in partnership with the UK Office of the Vice President for Research, College of Medicine, Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), Proposal Development Office (PDO) and others.

Based in the Greater Boston area and managed by VentureWell, the Investor Catalyst Hub seeks to accelerate the commercialization of groundbreaking and accessible biomedical solutions. It utilizes an innovative hub-and-spoke model designed to reach a wide range of nonprofit organizations and Minority-Serving Institutions, with the ultimate aim of delivering scalable health care outcomes for all Americans.

“With this new opportunity to be a spoke in the wheel of innovation, UK has the opportunity to not only advance technologies but transform lives,” said Ian McClure, associate vice president for research, innovation and economic impact, and executive director of UK Innovate. “We have the advantage of having a team of innovators in the health space to rely on to drive the search for biomedical solutions to better our communities here in Kentucky and across the country. We also have fantastic resources for health research translation, including UK Innovate and CCTS.  I am excited for the contributions our scientists and research translation infrastructure will make to this initiative.”

UK joins a dynamic nationwide network of organizations aligned to ARPA-H’s overarching mission to improve health outcomes through the following research focus areas: health science futures, proactive health, scalable solutions and resilient systems. Investor Catalyst Hub spokes represent a broad spectrum of expertise, geographic diversity and community perspectives.

“Our spoke network embodies a rich and representative range of perspectives and expertise,” said Mark Marino, vice president of growth strategy and development for VentureWell and project director for the Investor Catalyst Hub. “Our spokes comprise a diverse network that will be instrumental in ensuring that equitable health solutions reach communities across every state and tribal nation.”

As an Investor Catalyst Hub spoke, UK gains access to potential funding and flexible contracting for faster award execution compared to traditional government contracts. Spoke membership also offers opportunities to provide input on ARPA-H challenge areas and priorities, along with access to valuable networking opportunities and a robust resource library.

The spoke network will continue to grow as the Investor Catalyst Hub expands its efforts, with applications being selected on a rolling basis. Interested organizations can visit investorcatalysthub.org to learn more or submit a membership application.