Illinois expands its footprint as a spoke for the ARPA-H Customer Experience Hub

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, already recognized as a spoke for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health Investor Catalyst Hub, has joined the ARPA-H Customer Experience Hub (CX Hub), with the goal of ensuring that future healthcare advancements are patient-centric and deliver improved outcomes for all Americans. One of three regional hubs in the ARPANET-H Health Innovation Network, the CX Hub focuses on human-centered design and end-user experience to drive successful adoption of innovations for better health.   

ARPA-H supports transformative biomedical and health breakthroughs to provide health solutions for all. The agency funds high-impact research carried out by a wide variety of groups across the country, including everyone from academia and private industry to the government. 

“At Illinois, we’re always on the lookout for innovative ways to solve big problems,” said Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the U. of I. “Our expanding connections with ARPA-H better position our university to meet patient needs and address grand health challenges.” 

The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) has led Illinois’ efforts to respond to the mission of the recently established ARPA-H and will serve as the point of contact and driver of both Customer Experience and Investor Catalyst Hub initiatives. IHSI is the interdisciplinary research unit at Illinois dedicated to advancing the health sciences, technologies, and innovations across campus and manages key health collaborations, including the Mayo Clinic and Illinois Alliance for Technology-Based Healthcare.  

As a spoke for the CX Hub, Illinois receives several benefits, including potential funding and networking opportunities with consortium members, government, and other stakeholders. Illinois will also have increased influence in high-profile efforts, and streamlined access to information and funding. 

“This complements our spoke membership with the ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub and really puts Illinois on the national ARPA-H map, said Stephen Boppart, Interim Director of IHSI. “We look forward to expanding our connections to their larger network, and participating in current and future ARPA-H calls that are specific to spoke partners.” 

Together, the hubs and spokes will collaborate with ARPA-H, with the goal of enabling health problems to be solved faster, with accessible, equitable solutions reaching the American public more quickly. This larger network advances President Biden’s Unity Agenda by driving innovation for new ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other major diseases.