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SBU Student & CFB Fundamentals Program Alum
Wins NIH Pitch Competition

Christopher Ashdown, a Stony Brook University MD/PhD student and alumnus of the CFB’s Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program, has won the Innovator Showcase Pitch Event at the 2022 Proof of Concept Network (POCN) Annual Meeting hosted by National Institutes of Health SEED (Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development). Chris pitched on behalf of Lahara Bio.

Chris advanced through multiple rounds of pitching and was selected to present at the POCN Innovator Showcase with two other exceptional POCN innovators. Congratulations Chris!

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Attention Stony Brook University Faculy and Staff: Applications for the second cycle of the President’s Fast Impact Fund (FIF) opened August 3, 2026. Open to all Stony Brook faculty and staff, this special initiative supports immediate-impact projects that can be launched quickly and deliver results within six to ten months.

The FIF provides awards of up to $300,000 focused on low‑investment, high‑reward initiatives that create visible, positive change. Examples of projects that would be considered include specialized equipment or technology acquisitions, pilot programs or proof‑of‑concept initiatives, targeted renovations or seed funding, among other opportunities.

All proposals must include a customized, high-level budget and be endorsed by the relevant vice president or dean with authority to implement the project. Applications for the August cycle will be available beginning August 3 with submissions due Friday, August 21 by 5 pm, ET. Please visit the Fast Impact Fund website for additional information and to submit an application.

[post_title] => SBU President’s Fast Impact Fund (FIF) [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => sbu-presidents-fast-impact-fund-fif [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-08-19 08:30:44 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-08-19 12:30:44 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=5031 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2683 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2017-05-05 19:56:20 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-05-05 19:56:20 [post_content] => On Thursday May 4, 2017 Center for Biotechnology Director Dr. Clinton Rubin was fortunate to testify at a joint congressional hearing on "Improving the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs”. Dr. Rubin was present to discuss the NIH-REACH Program - which is the program that supported the creation of the Long Island Bioscience Hub. Dr. Rubin spoke about the importance of initiatives like REACH which promote the development of “Phase 0” proof-of concept centers embedded within university communities. The activities of these centers are critical in promoting under-realized innovations out of academic labs and into the hands of patients as Universities often face significant challenges when it comes to commercializing translational research. He talk about the fact that in a very short amount of time, the three hubs created by the REACH program have already seen major impacts at our institution, fostering new intellectual property, increasing credibility with the investor community, promoting a shift in the academic culture, attracting new licensing opportunities, and most importantly, catalyzing the formation of new companies – some of which have successfully secured SBIR funding. Programs like REACH fuel the growth of the small business community around university centers, and drives science towards successful new treatments for disease. The committee hearing is available to view at this link. Dr. Rubin’s comments begin at 2:53:06 [caption id="attachment_2684" align="alignleft" width="300"] CFB Director Clint Rubin and Director of Operations Diane Fabel at a joint congressional hearing on May 4, 2017.[/caption] [post_title] => CFB Director Testifies Before Joint Congressional Hearing [post_excerpt] => Dr. Rubin Dr. Clinton Rubin discussed the NIH-REACH Program and the Long island Bioscience Hub at a recent joint congressional hearing on "Improving the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs”. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => cfb-director-testifies-before-joint-congressional-hearing [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-05-19 18:29:37 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-05-19 18:29:37 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=2683 [menu_order] => 148 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 427 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2014-06-05 08:37:24 [post_date_gmt] => 2014-06-05 08:37:24 [post_content] => The Accelerate Long Island (ALI) Seed Fund and the Long Island Emerging Technologies Fund (LIETF) announced initial investments in five Long Island-based biotech and clean energy startups. Four of the five companies each receiving $100,000 are CFB Client companies: Goddard Labs, PolyNova, SynchroPET and Traverse Biosciences. Read the full press release here. [post_title] => $500k in Funding For Biotech Startups Announced [post_excerpt] => The Accelerate Long Island Seed Fund and the Long Island Emerging Technologies Fund) announced initial investments in five Long Island-based biotech and clean energy startups [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => economic-growth-translating-basic-science-into-commercial-opportunities-2 [to_ping] => [pinged] => http://www.accelerateli.org/accelerate-long-island-and-the-long-island-emerging-technologies-fund-announce-500k-in-funding-for-five-biotech-and-clean-energy-startups/ [post_modified] => 2015-01-28 17:08:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-01-28 17:08:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/new/?p=427 [menu_order] => 228 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3422 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2020-01-15 14:35:02 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-01-15 14:35:02 [post_content] => The IndieBio life sciences accelerator has officially launched in New York and is now accepting applications until March 1st. Each team accepted into the program will receive $250K, lab and co-working space and mentorship during the four-month program that kicks off in April 2020. IndieBio is looking for early-stage companies where biology is the underlying technology, which includes therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, computational biology as well as consumer and industrial applications, such as plant-based foods, cellular agriculture. Therapeutics companies accepted into IndieBio New York are eligible to receive up to $2 million. IndieBio, the world’s first life sciences accelerator, was created by venture fund SOSV in 2014. In the past five years, SOSV/IndieBio has backed nearly 200 life science startups with a combined valuation of over $3 billion, raising more than $700 million and employing over 2,000 people. [post_title] => Life Science Accelerator IndieBio Launches in NYC [post_excerpt] => New life science accelerator has launched in New York City, offering space, financing and more. Applications open and accepted until March 1, 2020. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => life-science-accelerator-indiebio-launches-in-nyc [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-15 14:35:02 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-15 14:35:02 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3422 [menu_order] => 78 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 4 [current_post] => -1 [before_loop] => 1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 5031 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2026-08-10 12:17:19 [post_date_gmt] => 2026-08-10 16:17:19 [post_content] =>

Attention Stony Brook University Faculy and Staff: Applications for the second cycle of the President’s Fast Impact Fund (FIF) opened August 3, 2026. Open to all Stony Brook faculty and staff, this special initiative supports immediate-impact projects that can be launched quickly and deliver results within six to ten months.

The FIF provides awards of up to $300,000 focused on low‑investment, high‑reward initiatives that create visible, positive change. Examples of projects that would be considered include specialized equipment or technology acquisitions, pilot programs or proof‑of‑concept initiatives, targeted renovations or seed funding, among other opportunities.

All proposals must include a customized, high-level budget and be endorsed by the relevant vice president or dean with authority to implement the project. Applications for the August cycle will be available beginning August 3 with submissions due Friday, August 21 by 5 pm, ET. Please visit the Fast Impact Fund website for additional information and to submit an application.

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