Criteria
Strongly prefer Applicants are Yale faculty.*
Successful projects:
- Startup formation
- Licenses to biotech and pharma
- Major industry-sponsored research agreements
- External non-dilutive funding (e.g., SBIR/STTR)
Awards
- Development Awards: $300,000 for 1-2 Years
- Pilot Awards: $100,000 for 1 Year
- Accelerator Awards: $30,000 for 6 months (mid cycle award)
- Most funding should be used to pay for work at contract research organizations (CROs) or Yale CORE facilities. Cannot be used for capital equipment, travel, PI salary, salary for collaborators at other institutions, or indirect expense charges. Additionally, cannot be used for tuition fees, commercialization activities (including incorporation and legal fees), maintenance fees, and publication fees.
Selection Criteria
- Research addresses major unmet medical need
- Strong indications of commercial interest
- Technology is near a “value inflection point”
- Technology is patentable with freedom to operate
- Engaged, committed principal investigator
Eligibility and Additional Terms and Conditions:
- Innovative Yale technology with the potential to address major unmet medical need and deliver life-changing healthcare solutions.
- The technology must have the potential to be commercialized (Yale IP or the potential to generate Yale IP, copyright, or licensable know-how).
- Each project should have a clear plan, budget, and milestone(s) to deliver the next value inflection point.
- The award is to the PI and not to any associated company.
- If an associated company has been formed, it should have raised no more than $500K in dilutive funding.
- If a company has a license to the technology, the company will not have access to the Blavatnik-funded data until it is incorporated into the license.
Office Hours
Connect with our team through 1-on-1 office hour sessions to learn more.
Rubric Criteria
Pitches will be scored on the following criteria:
- Problem - Have they Identified a compelling problem that needs solving with a viable market opportunity?
- Solution - Is there a clear path forward to the next value inflection point?
- Commercial Potential - Is there a clear customer/patient population with competitive advantage over existing standard of care?
- Barrier to Replication - Is there Yale IP/potential for IP or the ability to protect technology to prevent others replicating?
FAQ
Who can apply for Blavatnik funding?
PI (and co-PI, if applicable) must have a full-time, ladder-track faculty appointment* at Yale with salary support from other sources for the duration of the award (6, 12, and 24 months for accelerator, pilot, and development awards, respectively). *Exceptions for non-ladder-track faculty may be made on a case-by-case basis.
What technologies can qualify for funding?
Blavatnik awarded technologies span the range of therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, and healthcare IT. Project topics can include, but are not limited to:
- Novel therapeutics of any modality
- Platform technology addressing unmet challenges in life sciences
- Clinical Innovations (digital or devices)
- Digital health, Analytics, and AI
What is the application process like?
The application is an iterative process with multiple points of feedback. Award applicants will receive personal feedback, training and expert project guidance. Those who pitch will get unparalleled exposure to industry and potential partners. This is a process with many benefits beyond financial support. Any investigator with a solid idea is encouraged to apply.
What is the timeline of the application process?
- October 31st – Application Deadline
- November – Application review - eligible applicants notified for further pitch refinement and coaching
- November 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th – presentations will be scored by external industry reviewers using our rubric below (virtual)
- December 5th - Semifinalists pitch at Yale Lifesciences PitchFest (in person)
- Jan 2025 – Blavatnik Advisory Board selects finalists to refine pitches
- February 2025 – Finalists pitch (in person) to the Blavatnik Advisory Board, Blavatnik Awardees Announced
Accelerator applications open in the Spring of 2025.
- May 29th, 2025 – Accelerator Awardees announced at Innovation Summit
What do you need to apply?
All you need to apply is a 5-minute slide pitch! Just get together 6-8 power point slides that you can present in 5 minutes that answer these basic questions. Please note a final slide deck does not need to be submitted with the application – our team welcomes proposals in draft form and will work with you towards a final deck for the quarterfinals. The earlier you apply, the more support we can give. Please book office hours to discuss your technology with Morag Grassie:
- What’s the product/service?
- What’s the market?
- What’s the competition?
- What are your differentiating unique benefits?
- How would this product make money?
- What’s your current team and status?
- What exactly would you accomplish with Blavatnik funding?