CALL FOR PROPOSALS INFORMATIONAL PAGE


APPLICATION OPEN SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2023

Pre-Proposal applications for the Call for Proposals for the Health Tech Accelerator Program will open on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. The deadline to submit will be Wednesday, November 8, 2023 by 5:00pm EST.  

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Please note: No paper applications will be accepted.

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Information Session

For more information on the Call for Proposals, join Penn Health-Tech for an Information Session on October 17th at 12noon. Use the QR code to register. 


GOAL

The Health Tech Accelerator (HTA) is a year-long, cohort based program that is intended to provide support through advising and funding aimed at accelerating the life cycle of innovative health  technologies.  Support may include technical de-risking (e.g., prototype development, proof of concept, etc.) and/or commercial de-risking (e.g., setting development milestones, clinical strategy, regulatory strategy, reimbursement strategy, etc.) with the goal of attracting further financial support and eventual commercialization and impact.  


SCOPE

Submissions across ALL unmet clinical need areas within medical devices and health technologies are encouraged to apply. 

Proposals must be translational in nature, i.e., focused on efforts to translate research results and/or novel ideas into innovative medical devices and health technologies that have potential for commercialization and societal benefit.  Projects that propose to undertake early-stage discovery research will not be considered and may be more suitable for our other funding mechanisms (including our sponsored opportunities such as the NEMO prize and the IDEA prize).

All unmet clinical needs are encouraged to apply, but some areas of special interest are:

  1. Connected Health: sensors, AI/ML, devices, and systems

  2. Delivery Platforms: drug and gene therapy

  3. Pediatric Devices: diagnose or treat disease and conditions from birth to age 21*

  4. Surgery: instruments for cardiovascular, neuro, orthopedic, and other procedures

*Co-sponsored by Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium 


ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be Penn or CHOP faculty or staff. 


WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE AWARD?

  • Funding in the range of $5,000 to $75,000, customized to project needs, with potential for additional funding based on project progression

  • Hands-on advising to support development 

  • Access to industry experts and complementary programs to assist with engineering and design, manufacturing, regulatory guidance, and reimbursement assessment.

  • Participation in HTA Innovation & Commercialization Bootcamp (optional)


APPLICATION PROCESS

The application process is multi-stage, starting with submission of a pre-proposal. A subset of project teams is then selected as semifinalists and are invited to participate in the Innovation & Commercialization workshop series, which consists of interactive sessions that help each team prepare a competitive full proposal and pitch deck. Teams then submit these full proposals and “pitch” their projects for funding consideration to our panel of experts.


Date
Application Process Details

September 20, 2023

Pre-Proposal Application Launch

October 17, 2023

Virtual Information Session

November 8, 2023

Pre-Proposals Application Deadline

December 2023

HTA Semi-Finalist Cohort Announced

January - April 2024

HTA Innovation & Commercialization Bootcamp 

February 2024*

Full Proposal Application Launch

April 2024*

Full Proposal Submission Deadline

May 2024*

Call for Proposals Finalist Pitch

June 2024*
HTA Program Kick-off for 2024 Cohort

* Dates in 2024 to be communicated in Semifinalist announcement


REVIEW PROCESS

HTA proposals are evaluated on the basis of the project’s (1) potential for impact, (2) potential for commercialization, (3) technical feasibility, and (4) the potential of obtaining further financial investment to bring the proposed solution to the bedside.

Pre-Proposals and Full Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of judges composed of clinicians, investors, entrepreneurs, and experts in industrial R&D, intellectual property and technology transfer.  

Semifinalist notifications will be made within six weeks of the application submission deadline. HTA award notifications will be made by June 2024. Awarded funds are contingent on your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the award.

EXPECTATIONS OF AWARDEES

Penn Health Tech employs a hands-on, active project management style. Funding and advancement are tied to achievement of specific technical and business milestones. Teams should be willing and able to devote the necessary time and resources to their project and be open to receiving mentorship and advice related to the development of their idea towards commercialization.


BUDGET AND USE OF FUNDS

The Health Tech Accelerator (HTA) employs a “stage-gate model” of project management. Accordingly, funding is NOT guaranteed (unlike federal grants). Instead, funding is issued in tranches, with issuance at each tranche subject to achievement of agreed upon milestones.

Penn Health-Tech issues awards through internal funding through the University of Pennsylvania or by providing direct payments for expenses and services. Penn Health-Tech does not issue funding to Penn start-ups. Formal contracts with the University must be in place with approved vendors in order to issue a direct payment to that vendor. 

Funds may be used for salary and fringe benefits for project personnel (other than PI or Co-PIs), materials and supplies, consumable equipment (e.g., components for systems), and costs for human studies (e.g., IRB fees, patient recruitment fees, etc.).  Past Seed grant funding has also been used for consultation around regulatory, reimbursement, market, and other areas necessary for commercialization.  Funds may NOT be used for salary or fringe for PIs or Co-PIs, tuition, space and renovation, or indirect costs.

 



HTA INNOVATION & COMMERCIALIZATION BOOTCAMP

Penn Health-Tech (PHT) hosts a strategic technology development and innovation education program (known as the Health-Tech Accelerator “Boot Camp”), teaching the basics of commercialization of technologies developed in academic settings, with application to your specific project. The goal of the program is to support the development of a high-quality translational proposal and pitch for funding consideration by PHT.  

Context: This program is part of a for-credit course for students that is offered in partnership with PHT. PHT teams will be assigned a team of graduate students (unless equivalent support is already available) to support your project, including performing structured interviews with key stakeholders and development of a commercialization plan.

Expectations: PHT semi-finalist teams are expected to be involved and accessible and typically devote an average of an hour per week working with the student team. In addition to meeting with your teams once per week, we recommend sending a member of your team to each session. We understand this is a significant commitment and therefore it is not required.

The program will start in late January and will run for 9 sessions on Wednesdays from 3:30-6:30 PM.  More information can be found here.