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FORGE Coalition Wins $47.3M Federal Award

The Tampa Bay-area coalition will use the funding to build radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and life sciences training infrastructure.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Cancer

Wide view of a pale modern institutional building with a tall ventilation stack under a clear sky, surrounded by scrub palms in flat Florida terrain.
Moffitt Cancer Center plans a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Pasco County as part of a $47.3 million federal award to the FORGE coalition. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The FORGE coalition received a $47.3 million award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The funding will support five major initiatives centered on radiopharmaceutical production and life sciences workforce development in the Tampa Bay region.

Why it matters

Radiopharmaceuticals are used in cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the project aims to build local capacity for producing them. The initiatives also target workforce training and support for early-stage biotech companies in Florida.

The federal award totals $47.3 million, funding a 130,000-square-foot radiopharmaceutical facility and a four-story, 120,000-square-foot office and lab. The FORGE Incubator will support up to 20 early-stage companies, though the source does not detail the budget split among the five initiatives.

The players

Moffitt Cancer Center

Moffitt Cancer Center is a Tampa-based comprehensive cancer center and research institution affiliated with the University of South Florida.

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida is a public research university based in Tampa, Florida.

Pasco-Hernando State College

Pasco-Hernando State College is a public college serving Pasco and Hernando counties in Florida.

The details

Moffitt Cancer Center will build a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility at the Speros campus in Pasco County. The Integrated Theranostics Center will let scientists produce isotopes and develop therapies for research and clinical trials, while the University of South Florida and Pasco-Hernando State College will expand training programs.

Timeline

  1. March: Organizations applied for the federal award.

  2. Q1 or Q2 2028: The FORGE Incubator is expected to open.

  3. Late 2029: The radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility is expected to be completed.

Big Picture

Radiopharmaceutical therapies, which deliver radiation directly to cancer cells, have grown into a major area of oncology treatment. This FORGE project seeks to expand Florida's capacity to manufacture these isotope-based therapies locally rather than relying on distant production.

Patients in Florida may eventually have access to locally produced radiopharmaceutical treatments as the manufacturing facility comes online. The timeline extends to late 2029, so near-term treatment options are not directly affected by this award.

The takeaway

Expanding domestic radiopharmaceutical production could shorten supply chains for cancer isotopes. Readers following cancer care in Florida should watch for facility milestones as the project moves toward its planned openings.

Further reading

For more on related treatment research, explore Cancer coverage on Wisevoter.

Source note: This article includes information reported by St Pete Catalyst.

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