Bridging Research Translation: Funding for Biomedical Breakthroughs
The development of promising innovations often stalls due to limited early-stage funding to address translational uncertainties. This leads to innovation staying in the ‘valley of death’—the critical gap between discovery and real-world application.
The Center for Biotechnology’s Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) award program is designed to bridge this gap, providing targeted funding and expert support to accelerate the translation of high-potential innovations. It supports faculty and postdoctoral researchers in translating bio-based, bio-convergence, or bio-medical discoveries by funding early-stage development and providing strategic guidance to advance innovations toward commercialization.
The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) investments in the development of faculty-driven innovation have contributed to $145M in follow-on federal funding, enabling researchers to generate critical data, secure sustained investment, and advance biomedical innovations toward commercialization and broader societal benefit. CfB-supported technology development projects have led to 408 disclosures, 618 issued patents, and 302 license agreements.
FUNDING PATHWAYS:
–Feasibility Awards ($50K, 12 months) support early-stage translational research, helping researchers refine concepts and validate key technical milestones for the development of IP and follow-on funding.
–Proof of Concept Awards ($100K, 12 months) provide funding to advance and de-risk existing intellectual property that has clinical application and can lead to follow-on funding.
Both pathways equip academic innovators with industry guidance and strategic connections needed to move discoveries toward commercialization and societal impact. Through REACH, the Center for Biotechnology continues to drive biomedical innovation forward, ensuring that transformative research reaches the patients and markets where it can make the greatest difference.
The REACH program supports faculty and postdoctoral researchers in translating bio-based, bio-convergence, and bio-medical research discoveries by providing targeted funding and strategic guidance to bridge the translation gap between discovery and development for commercialization.
Application deadline: May 15, 2025
Important Dates
Zoom Info Sessions:
April 3: 12:30pm – 1:30 pm | Click here to register & add to your calendar
April 10: 12:30pm – 1:30 pm | Click here to register & add to your calendar
April 17: 12:30pm – 1:30 pm | Click here to register & add to your calendar
Proposal Due: May 15, 2025
Award Notification: August 1, 2025
Project Start: September 1, 2025
For eligibility, deadlines, selection criteria, and reporting requirements, go to these links: RFP, Application, and FAQ.
Additional documents to be included in proposal:
Budget Form
Research Compliance Form
Project Plan Form
Selection Considerations
Meaningful breakthroughs often emerge from integrating diverse perspectives, so we encourage ambitious proposals—whether interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, or field-specific—that aim to solve unmet needs in the biomedical space. Each proposal will be evaluated on its own merits.