2019 BARDA Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (BARDA DRIVe) Accelerator Network Expansion

Description

The Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) was established by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). BARDA is responsible for developing and procuring technologies and countermeasures to protect the nation against natural and man-made threats. BARDA has delivered solutions to protect our country and the world from threats like Anthrax, Smallpox, Ebola, Pandemic Influenza, and many others. BARDA's mission is accomplished through successful public-private partnerships with industry to share risk, improve efficiency, and accelerate development all while sustaining a marketplace that guarantees continued access to the vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical products that are vital to our national health security. Launched in June 2018, DRIVe stimulates public-private partnerships that spur innovation and investment in health security products and technologies. The current pipeline of health security products, technologies and innovations is insufficient to counter the serious 21st century health threats facing our nation. DRIVe is working to address this crisis by incentivizing innovative research and development in the field of health security. A component of this is the DRIVe Accelerator Network where accelerators work together with DRIVe to identify promising innovation(s) and provide wrap-around technical and business development support services to projects funded by BARDA DRIVe. The original DRIVe Accelerator Network consists of the following eight organizations, located in key regional hubs across the US where health security products and technologies in biotechnology, life science research, and medical innovations are heavily concentrated: The Center for Biotechnology at Stonybrook (Long Island, NY); First Flight Venture Center (Raleigh, NC); Life Science Washington Institute (Seattle, WA); MedTech Innovator (Los Angeles, CA); Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (Lowell, MA); New Orleans BioInnovation Center (New Orleans, LA); Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute (Houston, TX); and University City Science Center (Philadelphia, PA). BARDA now wishes to expand the network to add members from regions of the country that are not in our current network but could further the impact and reach of DRIVe to other important hubs of biotech/life science innovation and activity. The positive impacts of the DRIVe Accelerator Network to date are significant and are only expected to grow with the 2019 expansion of the network, through: 1) the ability to reach a broader audience of stakeholders and innovators than BARDA could otherwise connect with through traditional means, and 2) the ability to empower entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers to create and commercialize innovative medical technologies to address unmet health security needs. The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the “2019 DRIVe Accelerator Network Expansion” is to solicit applicants interested in working with BARDA DRIVe in this capacity. It describes BARDA’s desired approach to expand the existing accelerator network, explains the envisioned roles and responsibilities of an accelerator, and provides details on how interested parties may apply.

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