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DECEMBER 10, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
 
As I look ahead to 2021, I can’t help but reflect on the challenges of 2020 and feel proud and grateful for the entire Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) team and the resilience and commitment of each team member to adjust to the circumstances and make this another successful year in biomedical innovation.
 
FFMI is a program based on innovation, and that innovation became the cornerstone to our efforts this year as we transitioned to a virtual world. I invite you to take a look at our metrics and see how our program continued to grow and evolve over the past year.
 
We began 2020 by kicking off the new Frankel Innovation Initiative – a $20 million gift from Maxine and Stuart Frankel that supports the research and development of transformative and life-saving therapies at Michigan Medicine. In September, a virtual project selection meeting was held and four teams were chosen as winners of the inaugural round of funding. The MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub funding programs also held virtual oversight committee meetings and project team updates.
 
Our Business Development team shifted from in-person meetings with company partners to virtual meetings and conferences. The team had a very busy year despite the challenges, and their efforts resulted in almost $116M in industry funding to the R&D enterprise at Michigan Medicine. The team was involved in a variety of projects, including helping bring the COVID-19 vaccine trials to the University of Michigan by being part of facilitating quick turnaround items needed to activate the trials, as well as providing consultation on financial forecasting. 
 
To continue to provide quality educational programming, we moved our FFMI fastPACE education courses to a virtual format and put together other online programs including the Idea to Impact webinar series and Innovation Studio. We also developed new online course options and training videos.
 
2020 presented FFMI with a unique situation that necessitated that we change the way we run the program, and I’m proud of the impressive milestones we achieved. We look forward to 2021 and contributing to the success of biomedical innovation at the University of Michigan by exploring and creating more opportunities and initiatives for our colleagues, collaborators, and customers across the U-M campus, the state, region, and nation.
 
Best Regards





Bradley Martin, Ph.D.
Director
Fast Forward Medical Innovation
Teri Grieb, Ph.D., Appointed Associate Dean for Research Strategy
The University of Michigan Board of Regents recently approved the appointment of Teri A. Grieb, Ph.D., as the Associate Dean for Research Strategy in the Medical School effective December 1. In this new role, Dr. Grieb will provide expanded strategic, tactical, and operational leadership of the research enterprise across the academic medical center of the University of Michigan.
Funding
New Deadline! Kickstart Early-Stage Funding Proposals Now Due February 1 - RFP Available
FFMI is currently accepting proposals for the next round of Kickstart applications, due Monday, February 1, 2021. This is a change from the previous May 1, 2021 proposal deadline. The Kickstart program has moved to a semi-annual RFP, with proposals due on the first of February and August.

Kickstart awards, made possible by the Michigan Economic Development CorporationMTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub, the U-M Medical School Office of Research, and the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, offer early-stage funding to biomedical researchers across the state of Michigan. This award is designed to enhance the commercial potential of a technology owned by any Michigan-based non-profit to the point of demonstration of utility and possible inclusion in MTRAC or other research funding programs.
Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund Portfolio Company Completes First Close of Seed Round
Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF) portfolio company, Arborsense, recently completed the first close of their $1.5M financing round.

"We heartily congratulate co-founder and President Girish Kulkarni and his team at Arborsense Inc. for successfully completing their first close of their Seed Round of $1.5M," says Hirak Parikh, MBVF Program Manager. "We are happy to partner with U-M's MINTS program and Invest Detroit Ventures (IDV) for this round. This is MBVF’s second investment in the company, and we are very excited about the prospects for their innovative blood alcohol monitoring device."
Check Out the New Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund LinkedIn Page
The Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF) recently launched a LinkedIn page. Be sure to follow the page in order to get the latest updates, information, and related news about the MBVF.

With a $3 million gift from the Monroe-Brown Foundation, the MBVF awards $50,000-$300,000 to U-M startup companies and serves to drive the university’s world-class leadership by creating a critical pipeline between research and the biomedical innovation life cycle. The Fund is exclusive for biomedical startups or companies with U-M IP or license.
Commercialization Education
Sign Up for December 15 Innovation Studio
Looking for feedback and input on your biomedical innovation? Join the Fast Forward Medical Innovation team for Innovation Studio, virtual office hours that give life science innovators of all levels the chance to address project needs, challenges, or questions. Participants can get individual feedback on:
  • innovation concepts    
  • opportunities for commercialization education    
  • funding resources    
  • any other innovation concerns that faculty, staff, or trainees may have    

The Innovation Studio is available for 30-minute consultations via Zoom every third Tuesday of the month. The next consultations will take place Tuesday, December 15, between 2:00pm-3:30pm. Space is limited.
FFMI/FCVC Innovation Academy Now Accepting Applications
The FFMI/FCVC Aikens Innovation Academy is currently accepting applications/inquiries for its Winter 2021 course, beginning in February. The Aikens Innovation Academy provides innovation and entrepreneurship education, mentorship, and funding for Frankel Cardiovascular Center faculty, staff, and trainees with any innovation (clinical value or commercial potential) affecting cardiovascular care.

The 2021 course will be virtual. Enrollees will leave with enhanced knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship concepts, as well as a well-developed pitch for resources. They will also receive mentorship and an opportunity for early-stage development funding. Visit the FCVC Innovation Program page to see past Innovation Academy enrollees.
FCVC Innovation Challenge Strives to Improve Cardiovascular Care
The 2021 Frankel Cardiovascular Center (FCVC) Innovation Challenge will take place virtually on May 20, 2021.

This year, submissions for both the Grand Prize and Just Do it Awards will be in video format. Submissions will be accepted January 11 - February 18, 2021.

Now in its fifth year, the Innovation Challenge awards up to $100,000 to one or more winners. The goal is to empower the community of trainees, faculty, staff, patients, and families at the CVC to propose, test, and implement new innovations.
FFMI fastpace Spring Cohort Registration Available
FFMI fastPACE is a four-week biomedical and commercialization course designed to help participants prepare a successful business case for funding and development partnerships.

Registration is now available for the Spring 2021 cohort beginning Friday, April 30. Sign up today!

Questions? Email Jon Servoss, FFMI Director of Commercialization Education.
Video Teaches How to Conduct a Search for Prior Art Using Google Patents
This FFMI video will take you through a step-by-step tutorial of Google Patents. Google Patents allows you to search and read the full text of patents from around the world, as well as articles from Google Scholar as you conduct your search for prior art.
Bulletin Board
Asahi Kasei Pharma Looking to Collaborate on Drug Development
Asahi Kasei Pharma is publicly calling for new proposals related to drug development research. Submissions will be assessed with respect to their potential as concepts for collaborative research and fostering of research.

Drug candidates are being sought in the following therapeutic fields:
  • neurodegenerative disease
  • autoimmune disease
  • critical care medicine
  • bone/cartilage conditions
  • muscle-related disease

The application period begins at 5:00am GMT (12:00am EST) on January 7, 2021, and ends at 8:00am GMT (3:00am EST) on February 25, 2021.

Contact Debra Grega for further details.
Finding Funding Workshop to Provide Grant Seeking Strategies
U-M Research Development will host a webinar, "Finding Funding: Identifying Opportunities and Scoping the Grants Landscape," on January 13, 2021, from 12:00pm-1:00pm. This event features library experts presenting practical skills to help researchers at all levels be proactive in seeking funding opportunities.
RFP Now Open: Michigan Medicine-PKUHSC Joint Institute
Following a temporary suspension of the RFP process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Joint Institute of the University of Michigan and Peking University Health Science Center has announced the re-activation of its awards cycle.

Projects will be prioritized that demonstrate an effective team approach to discovery, emphasize new findings on diseases relative to both countries, and can be leveraged for extramural funding opportunities.

DEADLINE: February 24, 2021
Our Collaborators
U-M Tech Transfer
To better navigate the complexities of the U-M biomedical research enterprise, visit the Research Project Lifecycle. This interactive tool provides an overview of the resources available to you, not only within the Medical School Office of Research but also across the University of Michigan.
Fast Forward Medical Innovation is part of the Office of Research, where our mission is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the U-M Medical School community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact.