Enterprise Innovation brings internal and external collaboration opportunities to our faculty and trainees. These programs provide extra funding and opportunities to work with industry to advance faculty/trainees' translational research projects.
1. The Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Award
The Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards support innovative cancer research from the next generation of leaders. These grants are awarded to outstanding early career investigators to support high-impact, high-risk projects that are distinct from their current research portfolio.
Award Terms
- The grant amount is $250,000 per year for three (3) years totaling $750,000.
- Indirect costs are not to exceed 10% of direct costs and are included in total.
- Emerging Leader Awards are granted to a single investigator; co-investigators are not permitted. The award may be used to support projects carried out with collaborators, who may provide letters of support.
- In Year 3, at The Mark Foundation’s discretion, select Awardees may be invited to apply for up to two (2) years of additional funding depending on project progress.
- The letter of agreement will include IP terms with a revenue sharing component.
- Award start date will be January 1, 2025.
The portal to submit letters of intent for the upcoming Emerging Leader Award will open on March 20, 2024. Letters of Intent must be submitted through the online application system no later than 5 PM Eastern Time on Monday, April 29, 2024. Learn more about the application process here.
2. Elsa Pardee Foundation – Cancer Research Grant
- Eligibility: Investigators in US non-profit institutions proposing novel research for new cancer treatments, detection, or disease biology
- Funding Duration: 1 year
- Funding Amount: No limit on grant amount
- Application Deadline: April 30, 2024
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
3. NIH R21: Preclinical Proof of Concept Studies for Rare Diasease (CT not allowed)
- Eligibility: Investigators seeking to conduct efficacy studies in established rare disease preclinical model to validate therapeutic agent.
- Efficacy and PKPD studies for small molecule, biologic, or biologically-derived agents will be supported
- Funding Duration: 2 years
- Funding Amount: Maximum of $275k for two-years
- LOI Deadline: May 1, 2024
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
4. Seeking Repurposed Therapeutics for the Treatment of Motor Neuron Disease
- £5 million (about $6 million) International Funding Call Open for Applications
- Funding of up to £750k (about $945k) is available for 5 projects
LifeArc, a self-funded, non-profit medical research organisation is seeking innovative proposals to boost drug repurposing in MND by investing at least £5m in preclinical translation. The funding call is part of LifeArc’s multi-million pound MND Translational Challenge to help accelerate scientific innovation and find new treatments for people living with MND.
LifeArc will provide funding and support for researchers and SMEs who possess a repurposed drug or drug combination and a MND therapeutic target. Applicants will be required to develop project plans designed to deliver robust preclinical evidence to facilitate drug prioritization for future clinical studies in MND.
LifeArc is a hub for drug repurposing expertise and translational research (see the links to applicant resources below) and will provide successful applicants with advice and mentorship as well as access to a collaborative network of potential project partners to enable the best chance of project success. Its track record in drug repurposing is extensive and it will work closely with all funding recipients throughout the lifecycle of the project to help support the individual project needs.
Approaches of Interest:
- Preclinical stage research for drug repurposing in MND with a repurposed drug or drug combination, and existing experimental evidence for an MND drug target, or, plans in the first milestone to evaluate a repurposed drug or drug combination against a relevant MND drug target.
- Project plans including biomarker guided approaches for repurposed drug-target engagement, mechanism and efficacy.
- Repurposed candidates must have achieved a minimum of clinical proof of concept, successfully completing, phase 2 clinical trials or market authorised drugs for the existing indication, not MND.
Submission Information:
Submission of a completed Expression of Interest form is required as part of the application process. Application deadline is Friday, May 10, 2024. Please submit your application to James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu by Wednesday, May 1. Center for Technology Licensing will review and help you upload your application to LifeArc's website.
Useful Links:
- LifeArc ‑ Drug Repurposing in MND
- LifeArc ‑ Guiding Principles
- LifeArc ‑ Repurposing Toolkit
- LifeArc ‑ Webinar
5. Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation – Accelerating Drug Discovery For Frontotemporal Degeneration
- Eligibility: Academics or biotechs looking to accelerate therapeutic development progress for small molecule, biologic, genetic therapy agents to treat FTD and related neurodegenerative disease
- RFP supports lead optimization, med chem, in vivo testing of compounds for PK, dose-range finding, tolerability, in vivo efficacy
- Funding Duration: 1 year w/ potential for follow-on
- Funding Amount: $300k - $350k based on stage of development
- LOI Deadline: May 13, 2024
- Invited Full Proposal Deadline: July 22, 2024
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
6. Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation – Drug Development RFP
- Eligibility: Investigators seeking to support IND enabling studies or early phase clinical trials for pharmacological interventions or devices for AD and other dementias (disease modifying or symptomatic therapies considered)
- RFP supports early clinical trials, biomarker based POC studies, non-GLP and GLP pharmacology/tox, formulation, GMP manufacturing of API
- Funding Duration: Multi-year
- Funding Amount: Up to $5M based on scope and stage of research
- LOI Deadline: May 13, 2024
- Invited Full Proposal: July 22, 2024
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
7. Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation – Neuroimaging and CSF Biomarker Program
- Eligibility: Investigators seeking to further develop and validate established clinical biomarkers in Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Priority on biomarkers with defined context of use, clinical relevance, and commercial path. Special focus on:
- Novel PET ligands for clinical trials
- Novel CSF biomarkers
- Validating innovative MRI approaches in larger cohorts
- Developing novel measures of functional activity such as EEG
- Funding Duration: 1 year w/ potential to follow on
- Funding Amount: Up to $600k based on stage and scope research
- LOI Deadline: May 13, 2024
- Invited Full Proposal: July 22, 2024
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
8. FuzeHub – 2024 Manufacturing Grants
- Eligibility: Academic researchers/entrepreneurs who are partnering with at least one NY state small – medium sized life sciences manufacturer to support:
- New Technology Development
- Prototype Development
- Design and POC for Manufacturing
- Manufacturing Scale Up
- Equipment Purchases
- Funding Duration: 1 year
- Funding Amount: $65k
- Application Deadline: May 14, 2024
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
9. Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in Basic Biology of Aging (P30, no clinical trial)
- Application Deadline: May 15, 2024
- Award Details: Up to $1.1M per year, 5 year maximum
- Funding opportunity for applicants with a research focus in: hallmarks of aging, biomarkers of aging, computational modeling aging, pharmacological gerotherapeutics development, translational models for drug screening
- Informational webinar April 9 for NSC application, register here
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
10. BRAIN Initiative: Preclinical Proof of Concept for Novel Recording and Modulation Technologies in the Human CNS (R18, no clinical trial)
- Application Deadline: May 29, 2024
- Award Details: Up to $750k per year, 3 year maximum
- Funding opportunity for research which aims to translate novel recording and modulation technologies that could be used to treat and/or diagnose CNS diseases
- Eligible projects include proof of concept stage through FIH clinical readiness. Devices may incorporate any signal modality (electrical, optical, magnetic, acoustic)
- Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives will be required for application
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
11. BRAIN Initiative: Next-Generation Devices for Recording and Modulation in the Human Central Nervous System (UG3/UH3, clinical trial optional)
- Application Deadline: May 29, 2024
- Award Details: Up to $500k per year in UG3 phase, up to $1.5M per year in UH3 phase
- Funding opportunity for neuroscience projects with transdisciplinary, collaborative researchers in fields of computational biology, physics, engineering, and data sciences; encourages participation of early-mid career investigators from diverse, under-represented backgrounds
- Opportunity aims to encourage applicants to pursue milestone-driven translational and clinical projects for recording and/or stimulating devices to treat CNS disorders
- Award will support regulatory activities needed for IND enabling work and subsequently FIH or early stage clinical study
Please contact James Bellush at james.bellush@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
12. Sanofi iAwards North America 2024 – 2025
Objective: Translational research award seeks to convert promising early stage, disease relevant projects into sponsored research programs and subsequently licensing / start-up opportunities within the Sanofi early stage pipeline
Eligibility Guidelines:
- Pre-proposals must be non-confidential
- Must not include 3rd party collaborators (academic partners permitted)
- Must outline research milestones and work-plan achievable in 12 mos
- Learn more about the therapeutic areas of interest and view detailed timeline for submission
here. A pre-proposal template is available here.
*CTL office must validate the application prior to submission
- Please provide CTL contact email in “General Information”:
- James Bellush, Manager, Scientific Scouting
- Email: james.bellush@cornell.edu
Award and Application Information:
- $150,000 for 12 months (direct + indirect costs included)
- Additional R&D support and guidance included from Sanofi
- After CTL review is complete, pre-proposal submitted through this link
- Pre-proposals must be submitted to Sanofi by June 3, 2024
- Submission of completed Full Proposals to Sanofi by Institutions by September 2, 2024