Request for Proposal

Two scientists review brain scans of a radiotherapy patient.

The application for the 2027 cohort will open on Monday, Aug. 3.

Learn more about the most recent seed grantees.

Learn more about Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap.

Who should apply

The Flinn Foundation seeks proposals from research teams with innovative solutions to well-defined and compelling clinical needs in the areas of medical devices & equipment, diagnostics, health-focused technology platforms or delivery processes, and therapeutics & pharmaceuticals. Other clinically compelling innovations, particularly those within precision medicine, are welcome to reach out and confirm eligibility. Proposed projects should have reached a point where there is significant potential to turn bench results into viable products or services to benefit patients in Arizona and beyond.

The Flinn Foundation Translational Seed Grants Program supports teams that include both scientists and clinicians affiliated with Arizona-based research institutions and/or health-care systems.

The application for the 2027 cohort will open on Monday, Aug. 3.

Requirements

Proposed projects for the Flinn Foundation Translational Seed Grants Program require a submission in our application portal, including:  

  • Completed application; 
  • Institutional endorsement form, signed by the vice president of research or their designee at the principal investigator’s institution; 
  • 300-word lay project summary; and 
  • Slide deck with required elements. 

Eligibility

For a research team to qualify for the program, the principal investigator must: 

  • Be employed by an Arizona-based, nonprofit academic- or medical-research institution or health system.  
  • Be eligible to serve as PI by their institution’s standards. 
  • Have, or be working with their institution on, an agreed path for licensing or ownership of the project’s IP.  
  • Agree to participate in grant programming provided by the Flinn Foundation, particularly quarterly cohort meetings.  

Previous Flinn Foundation grantees may apply as a principal investigator if all previous Flinn grants are closed. Note that Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program participants are not considered Flinn grantees. 

Competitive research teams will have:  

  • A proposed product and/or process that addresses a clearly defined, compelling clinical need;  
  • A project team that blends multi-disciplinary skills (e.g., scientific, clinical, engineering, business, regulatory) to meet the proposal goals; 
  • A plan for translation supported by customer discovery and a clear path to market; and 
  • An application that adheres to the posted requirements, especially the format and required elements of the slide deck.   

Benefits

Beyond the $100,000 grant, the program provides: 

  • Quarterly cohort workshops to enhance teams’ skillsets in product development and commercialization;  
  • Networking and connections with research and industry experts;  
  • Referrals to programs, resources, and product-development/product-launch experts;  
  • The opportunity to pitch for follow-on funding at the end of the original granting period; and  
  • Membership during the grant period on Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee.  

Up to three follow-on funding awards may be made at the close of the program. The traditional award is an additional $100,000 through the PI’s host institution. Especially meritorious follow-on funding winners may instead be offered direct admission into the Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program. Acceptance of admission into this program would be in lieu of accepting traditional follow-on funds. 

Program expectations

Expectations of Project Teams

Selected teams will submit quarterly narrative updates on their progress, as well as midterm and final expenditure reporting. They will also attend quarterly workshops for learning and networking. By the end of the grant period, successful teams will significantly de-risk their product/process, refine their design, and/or acquire critical validation data. They will secure or have a well-defined plan to secure new funding to carry their project forward to real-world impact.  

Ideally, prior to the start of the grant period, the PI should have IRB approval and a plan for addressing intellectual property issues with their institution, including ownership and licensing of technology.  

Expectations of the Institution

The PI’s home institution must provide an institutional endorsement form signed by the Vice President of Research or their designee. The institution should have worked with the PI to secure IP or be in the process of doing so, with a path to agreement on licensing or ownership of the IP.  

Use of funds

The PI’s home institution will administer the grant; up to 10% of funds are allowable for administrative or institutional fees (indirect costs).  

Grant funding can cover or offset expenditures such as:  

  • Program-related lab expenses (materials, support staff, analysis).  
  • Prototype development, testing, and validation.  
  • Animal-model tests.  
  • Publication of data.  
  • Development/refinement of business plan and customer discovery.  
  • Development of proposals for follow-on funding from Small Business Innovation Research funds, National Institutes of Health grants, angel investments, philanthropic funds, etc.  

The Flinn Foundation may permit other uses of funds if deemed appropriate in the context of program goals and the nature of the team’s research. Funds may not support salaries, benefits, or other compensation of the PI or co-PI(s), or be applied toward prior debt.  

Application evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated by independent review committees of academic and industry experts appointed by the Flinn Foundation. Constructive feedback will be offered to applicants.  

Contact

For more information about the program or the next application cycle, contact Joanna Yang Yowler, Ph.D., Flinn Foundation Program Manager, Translational Biosciences & Entrepreneurship.  

“This grant helped us pursue our passion: developing solutions for unmet needs of people with Type 1 diabetes. The award enabled us to test our ideas at the bedside, then at the bench—with the aim to translate them back soon.”

Sampathkumar Rangasamy, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Translational Genomics Research Institute in partnership with Mayo Clinic: “An innovative application for diabetes personalized care“