A Tampa Bay coalition has landed $47.3 million in federal funding to help establish the region as a national hub for developing and manufacturing radiopharmaceuticals, an emerging field of cancer treatment that the United States is looking to expand domestically.
The investment will support five projects involving Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of South Florida, Embarc Collective and Pasco-Hernando State College. The effort is led by Moffitt and Speros, the cancer center's 775-acre life sciences campus in Land O' Lakes.
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The regional partners make up the Florida Oncology and Radiopharmaceutical Growth Engine, or FORGE. The coalition estimates the effort could support about 4,000 jobs across the Tampa Bay area when fully operational, including 1,100 at Speros, and generate $2.6 billion in regional earnings between 2026 and 2037.
According to a news release from Moffitt, the goal is to build a regional network for producing medical isotopes, manufacturing cancer therapies, developing biotechnology companies and training workers.
The effort also addresses a national supply chain concern.
"Every radiopharmaceutical treatment starts with an isotope, and too much of that supply still depends on sources outside the United States," Josh Carpenter, president of Speros and chief integration officer at Moffitt, said in the news release.
According to Moffitt, two of the largest projects will expand research and manufacturing capacity at Speros.
Moffitt said it will receive $16.9 million to build the core and shell of a 130,000-square-foot radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility. The center will include cyclotrons and radiochemistry equipment to produce medical isotopes and manufacture therapies for research, clinical trials and industry partners.
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Another $15 million will support construction of a four-story, 120,000-square-foot office and laboratory building at Speros. The Catalyst Convergence Center will provide a permanent home for coalition startups and growing biotech and precision medicine companies.
The other projects focus on developing companies and training workers:
- Embarc Collective, a support platform for tech startups, will receive $4.3 million to operate a 14,000-square-foot laboratory incubator at Moffitt's new Discovery and Innovation Center. The facility will support as many as 20 radiopharmaceutical and biotech companies.
- USF will receive $6 million to develop specialized radiochemistry training for nuclear pharmacists, who prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals to patients.
- Pasco-Hernando State College will receive $5 million to expand radiography and imaging programs, including advanced training in CT and mammography.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the grant through its fiscal 2025 Disaster Supplemental-Industry Transformation program. With matching contributions from coalition partners, the projects represent an estimated $88.2 million investment.
Radiopharmaceuticals combine radioactive isotopes with molecules that target specific cells or tissues, according to health experts. In cancer care, they can help doctors identify tumors through imaging or deliver radiation directly to cancer cells.
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FORGE projects the coalition will generate $2.6 billion in regional earnings between 2026 and 2037 and $3.2 billion statewide.
The burgeoning Speros complex, located off Ridge Road, already includes a 120,000-square-foot outpatient cancer care and proton therapy center, and a 250,000-square-foot Discovery and Innovation Center for research.
