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BARDA: Mask Innovation Challenge

To accelerate the development of the next generation of masks, BARDA and NIOSH have partnered to launch the Mask Innovation Challenge: Building Tomorrow’s Mask. The Mask Innovation Challenge aims to improve the comfort, utility, and protective capabilities of available community masks that are worn during day-to-day activities when physical distancing is not possible. This competition is designed to support the development of mask designs that meet predefined performance standards, while providing increased comfort and durability to the average consumer.

Can you help build a better mask – one that people are interested in wearing? You will have helped solved one of the biggest problems of the day! The mask design innovation challenge puts up a $500,000 prize purse for new mask designs that overcome the common reasons people don’t wear masks in the current pandemic. Phase 1 is design, due 5 p.m. April 21, 2021; phase 2 is testing of prototypes by NIOSH scientists and partner labs. Learn more at drive.hhs.gov/mask_challenge.html and then see Challenge.gov for the rules, criteria, timelines and how to submit.

Mask Innovation Challenge Event 4/15

Don’t miss the Mask Innovation Challenge event at the Venture Café at UCSC on Thursday, April 15, 2021: “Why we need to innovate on the non-medical grade face mask” from 3-4pm EDT. HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will discuss comfort, utility, and protective factor of current non-medical grade face masks as well as opportunities to innovate on these designs.

Event link*: https://venturecafephiladelphia.org/event/why-we-need-to-innovate-on-the-non-medical-grade-face-mask/

8this link can be used to access the event on the day of the talk, no registration required)

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

[post_title] => BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => bioreach-translational-research-funding-opportunity [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-09-04 11:55:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-09-04 15:55:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=5065 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2919 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2018-01-23 14:35:31 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-01-23 14:35:31 [post_content] => Objective The Life Sciences Research and Development Tax Credit Program is designed to support new life sciences businesses locating, inventing, commercializing and producing in New York State. Overview Program Highlights Program credits of $10 million per year can be allocated and used to encourage new businesses to conduct their research and development in the State. Qualified life sciences companies may be eligible to receive a fully refundable credit based on qualified research and development expenditures incurred in New York State (NYS). The credit is 15 percent for a company that employs 10 or more persons and 20 percent for a company that employs 10 or less. The credit is allowed for up to three consecutive years beginning with the first taxable year on or after January 1, 2018 during which the qualified life sciences company meets the eligibility criteria. The credit is capped at $500,000 per year for a lifetime cap of $1.5 million. Eligibility The Program is available to a new business entity that devotes the majority of its efforts to the various stages of research, development, technology transfer and commercialization related to any life sciences field. Life sciences means agricultural biotechnology, biogenerics, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, biopharmaceuticals, academic medical centers, biotechnology, chemical synthesis, chemistry technology, medical diagnostics, genomics, medical image analysis, marine biology, medical devices, medical nanotechnology, natural product pharmaceuticals proteomics, regenerative medicine, RNA interference, stem cell research, medical and neurological clinical trials, health robotics and veterinary science. Research and development expenditures are defined as qualified research expenses of the federal research and development tax credit [Section 41(b) of the internal revenue code] incurred in New York State on or after January 1, 2018. Qualified expenditures do not include contract research expenses. A qualified life sciences company must be a new business. Application materials are now posted: https://esd.ny.gov/life-sciences-tax-credit-program https://esd.ny.gov/industries/biotech-and-life-sciences [post_title] => UPDATE for Life Sciences Companies from Empire State Development (ESD) [post_excerpt] => Empire State Development's Life Sciences Research and Development Tax Credit Program is designed to support new life sciences businesses locating, inventing, commercializing and producing in New York State. Program credits of $10 million per year can be allocated and used to encourage new businesses to conduct their research and development in the State. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => update-for-life-sciences-companies-from-empire-state-development-esd [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-01-23 14:38:08 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-01-23 14:38:08 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=2919 [menu_order] => 127 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2696 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2017-05-05 18:16:15 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-05-05 18:16:15 [post_content] => CFB Director of Operations, Diane Fabel, has been inducted into the Stony Brook University Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI-SBU) as an honorary member. At the chapter’s Annual Meeting on May 1, 2017, 16 new members and 2 honorary members were inducted into the Academy. Ms. Fabel and her fellow inductees join 30 stony brook faculty members, including CFB Director Clinton Rubin, who were inducted as inaugural members to the SBU-NAI in 2016.

Read more on the chapter and this year’s inductees here.

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Dr. Gurtej Singh, Research Associate Professor of Surgery at the Renaissance School of Medicine, was awarded seed funding through the SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF) to advance DEVA — a vascularized, shelf-stable skin substitute for advanced wound care. This bio-printed, multilayered construct integrates embedded vascular networks and antimicrobial features to enhance healing for chronic and hard-to-treat wounds — with the potential to shorten healing timelines and improve patient outcomes.

Additionally, Dr. Anurag Purwar, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Stony Brook’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was one of four SUNY Mission TAF awardees for his research, MotionGen — An AI Platform for Intelligent Mechanism Design in Robotics. Purwar is launching an enterprise version of MotionGen, a cloud-based AI platform that automates the robot mechanism design, reducing costs and improving quality through enhanced visualization and intelligent synthesis tools.

The SUNY TAF supports early-stage innovations with strong commercial potential, helping faculty move technologies from the lab toward real-world impact. This funding — part of a competitive award portfolio — underscores how translational research at Stony Brook continues to bridge discovery science and high-impact biotechnology solutions. Read more about these innovators and the TAF awards on SBU News.

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

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BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity

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UPDATE for Life Sciences Companies from Empire State Development (ESD)

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CFB Operations Director Inducted into SBU Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors

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Stony Brook Researchers Secure Seed Funding from SUNY TAF

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