The BHI Commercial Relevance Program (CRP) offers biohealth companies support in preparing applications for federal funding inclusive of SBIRs, STTRs, and other federal government awards. Companies submit their federal funding concepts and receive pre-proposal feedback to help troubleshoot and strengthen your application. Further support from professional consultants and service providers is available to assist in improving your application.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Technology Transfer

BHI’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program is designed to be an active partner with research institutions to source, fund, and grow high-potential, early-stage products through project-focused companies. The entrepreneurs in the program support the formation of new companies based upon innovative discoveries in the areas of drugs, vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices from the intramural research programs at the NIH and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as from universities and businesses. The EIR will find, evaluate, and support the development of new start-up companies based upon technology license agreements from technology transfer offices or equivalent units within the research institutions.

To find out how the Entrepreneur-in-Residence program can help your company or to apply for the EIR position, please contact Rich Bendis, President & CEO, at 215-593-3333.

Signed between BioHealth Innovation and National Institutes of Health’s Office of Technology Transfer

Under the PIA, BHI will employ and place Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) within OTT to evaluate, identify and license intramural technologies in the areas of drugs, vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices from the intramural research programs at both the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An NIH EIR is an industry expert with scientific, entrepreneurial/managerial and financial experience who works side by side with NIH scientists to identify, evaluate and support the development of new start-up companies based upon technology license agreements from OTT. BHI anticipates placing its first EIR this spring.

"The NIH Office of Technology Transfer is excited by the opportunity to work with BHI as a way to accelerate the licensing and commercial development of inventive technologies coming from the NIH and FDA intramural research programs,” said Mark Rohrbaugh, director of OTT. “We expect synergies particularly between the planned 'Entrepreneur-In-Residence' program fostered by BHI and the new 'Start-up Express License' that NIH launched late last year."

The INNoVATE™ program provides applied training for post-doctoral fellows, research scientists, and other professionals who want to start life science-based companies. The program was launched in 2010 with a 3-year funding grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). For the 2013 INNoVATE class, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), will offer the program at The Universities at Shady Grove's campus in Montgomery County, Maryland. The program is intended for scientists interested in commercializing biomedical technology. Partners in the program are BioHealth Innovation, Inc. and the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development.

The InvestMaryland Challenge is a national seed and early-stage business competition hosted by the State of Maryland. The Challenge will award $300,000 and a host of business services to companies in three categories – life sciences, high tech, and an open industry category that is nationwide. Companies also have the opportunity to receive direct investments from venture capital firms and angel investors.