What is the Biotech Research Development and Entrepreneurialism (BRDE) Center? 

The Biotech Research Development and Entrepreneurialism Center is a major initiative of the Flinn Foundation grant. The initiative focuses on bolstering the commercialization of wet lab research findings into tangible, patient-centered products, therapies, or algorithms that ultimately improve the health of people in Arizona and beyond. By providing supplemental funding, educational workshops, and networking opportunities, BRDE aims to increase the success and reach of groundbreaking bioscience research conducted at U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix. 

The Flinn Foundation, a beacon for bioscience development in Arizona, awarded a multi-year grant to College of Medicine – Phoenix. The multifaceted funding supports all components of BRDE, as well as the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center (TCRC), the Center for Precise, Personalized, and Preventative Psychiatry (C4P), and the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix /Flinn Summer Research Internship.  

Goals 

  • Cultivate community of practice around medical innovation and entrepreneurship 
  • Establish innovation and commercialization resource group with internal and external partners 
  • Support faculty with individual bioscience entrepreneurial mentorship  
  • Increase number of faculty who apply for and successfully obtain Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grants 
  • Equip faculty researchers with the tools to seek licensing agreements and intellectual property patents, as well as to establish bioscience companies

Major components 

Coffee, Consultation, and Collaboration series: Each month, BRDE spotlights a topic and/or guest speaker related to research funding, bioscience innovation, research commercialization, and entrepreneurial resources. The meeting takes place on the 4th Friday of every month. Please contact Sabrina Uddin (@email) to be added to the listserv to learn about this meeting series and other U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix research events.  

Grant Support office hours: Every Wednesday and Thursday from 4-5pm, Dr. Reed and Dr. Wang host office hours to provide consultation on grant applications, research goals, and potential resources. Office hours are offered in-person or virtually. Please contact Dr. Wang (@email) to confirm your attendance.  

Research Funding:

  • Drug Discovery Award: Supports the translation of research findings into the discovery pipeline for both small molecule and monoclonal antibody drugs, biologics or other agents for development as therapeutic agents. 
  • Clinical Translational Entrepreneurial Award: Supports the development of new products, approaches, or algorithms aimed at addressing significant clinical needs.   
  • Supercharge SBIR/STTR Award: Supplemental funding to address funding gaps for faculty who have already been awarded a SBIR or STTR grant.  

Programmatic funding: SBIR/STTR Grant Support Programming: Candidates who are committed to applying in the upcoming SBIR/STTR grant application window will receive full sponsorship for the Arizona Commerce Authority SBIR/STTR Workshop series and exclusive consultation services for grant preparation.  

Coffee, Consultation, and Collaboration series

All PowerPoints can be found here. 

  1. Anchor Your Work in the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap: Flinn Foundation Seed Grant​
  2. Biotech Entrepreneurial Research and SBIR/STTR Grants
  3. Bioscience Research Commercialization with Timothy Marlowe, PhD
  4. The Importance of Intellectual Property (IP) and IP Strategy in Your Entrepreneurial Journey with Rakhi Gibbons, Director of Licensing and IP at Tech Launch Arizona
  5. Funding Beyond Grants: Venture Capital and Angel Investors for Biotech Startups with Bob DeLean, Executive Director of Arizona Tech Investors
  6. SBIR/STTR Bootcamp: Starting your SBIR/STTR Grant Application with Guy Reed, MD, MS, Dean Emeritus
  7. SBIR/STTR Bootcamp: Preparing a Successful Grant Proposal with Wiley Larsen, Director of SBIR/STTR & University Partnerships at Arizona Commerce Authority (Recording linked here)

Research Funding

Supercharging SBIR/STTR Grants: Currently Open

This supplemental funding is for faculty who have been awarded a SBIR or STTR grant, and are designated as the PI on the grant.  

  • $25,000 for Phase 1 SBIR/STTR Grant 
  • $50,000 for Phase 2 SBIR/STTR Grant 

Candidates must forward Notice of Award and other supporting documentation to Dong Wang, MD, PhD, BRDE Project Manager.  

Drug Discovery Award 

Overview: To increase the translation of research findings into the discovery pipeline of both small molecule and monoclonal antibody drugs, biologics or other agents for development as therapeutic agents, the Flinn Foundation allocates funds to support highly meritorious projects.  These projects focus on the identification of candidate molecules that can be tested in proof-of-concept studies and serve as a successful step toward development. Selected awardees are initially granted $15,000. Pending sufficient progress reports, an additional $15,000 may be awarded. 

PI Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix faculty, including those who hold appointments in a clinical affiliate institution (Banner University, Veteran’s Administration, Barrow Neurological Institute or Phoenix Children’s Hospital).  Faculty applicants must be engaged in research and be eligible to apply for follow-up external grant funding. 

Current awardees 

  1. Inna Gladysheva, PhD: Developing Novel Agents to Improve Outcomes in Heart Failure 
  2. Michael Kruer, MD: Custom ASO treatment of a genetic form of cerebral palsy – first-in-kind proof of principle study 
  3. Hongyu Qiu, MD, PhD: Developing a novel therapy for myocardial ischemic disease 

Clinical Translational Entrepreneurial Award 

Overview: The Clinical Translational Entrepreneurial Award is designed to incentivize clinician-scientist research teams to collaborate and gather human clinical data that supports the development of new products, approaches, or algorithms aimed at addressing significant clinical needs. 

Focus Areas: Priority is given to projects in the areas of cardiovascular disease and pharmacogenetics-genomics of mental illness. However, other meritorious projects outside these areas are considered.  

Goal: All projects should aim to lead to a submitted Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) or Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal, fostering further development and commercialization of innovative clinical solutions. 

PI Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix faculty, including those who hold appointments in a clinical affiliate institution (Banner University, Veteran’s Administration, Barrow Neurological Institute or Phoenix Children’s Hospital). 

Current awardees 

  1. Nipavan Chiamvimonvat: A Novel Upstream Therapeutic Target for Atrial Fibrillation 
  2. Rayna Gonzales: Neuroprotective Potential of MnP-05: A Novel Brain-Penetrant Redox-Active Therapeutic for Ischemic Stroke Therapy 

Additional Resources

Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) 

Tech Launch Arizona supports inventors at U of A to help them turn discoveries into real-world solutions. BRDE frequently collaborates with TLA to provide learning opportunities and expert guidance to faculty who are looking to develop their research into tangible, patient-centered products.  

Their staff shares expertise at every step of the commercialization process. Garrett Edmunds serves as the Licensing Manager at Tech Launch Arizona for the University of Arizona Health Sciences, which includes COM-P. Faculty Innovation Ambassadors such as Dr. Frederic Zenhausern, serve as seasoned entrepreneurial resources.  

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants 

SBIR and STTR grant opportunities, frequently administered by the Department of Defense or the National Institutes of Health, provide technology-focused entrepreneurs with significant funding to successfully commercialize products. These grants are highly competitive and highly rewarding. 

BRDE partners with the Arizona Commerce Authority to connect faculty with their training programs, supplemental funding opportunities, expert consultation, and more.  

BRDE Team and Contact Information