Pat & Shirley Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund
Internal — Northwestern University only
Pat & Shirley Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund supports Northwestern faculty with seed grants for life sciences discoveries, advancing commercialization and meaningful societal impact.
Funder: Northwestern University
Due Dates: March 1, 2027 (Application) | September 1, 2027 (Application)
Funding Amounts: Typically $100,000–$300,000 for one year; other amounts considered when justified
Summary: Seed grants help Northwestern faculty advance high-potential life sciences discoveries toward commercialization and societal impact.
Key Information: PIs must hold a Northwestern faculty appointment, and projects must have no other external support when awarded.
Description
Northwestern University’s Pat & Shirley Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund provides seed grants to accelerate commercialization of innovative, high-potential life sciences research. It supports translational discoveries in engineering and medicine with the potential for meaningful, immediate societal impact. The fund targets critical work within established research programs to bridge the “valley of death” and enable subsequent support from industry, investors, or translational government programs such as SBIR and ARPA-H.
Areas of interest include drug discovery, sensing and measurement, rehabilitation, regenerative medicine, surgery and transplantation, artificial intelligence, and computation. Proposals should identify an unmet need, explain how their approach differs from existing work, and define one-year milestones that advance commercialization. Societal impact, a realistic translation pathway, and the potential to unlock external funding are central to the program.
