How does the program work?

Mid-South REACH pre-applications require two components:

1.    Project Description Template: A short (2-page) description of the problem you are trying to address and the solution you envision. This may be prepared offline and pasted/uploaded into the NIH portal. The Project Description template may be downloaded from the NIH Pre-Application portal (link here) or here.

2.    Online form: Applicants will be asked to provide information about the project and investigators, including previous innovation-related experience and technology stages. You will also upload your completed Project Description Template.

  • Pre-applications will be reviewed by the Mid-South REACH team in each state to determine if they are responsive to the RFA and may be excluded if not suitable for this grant program.

    Responsive pre-applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of the Mid-South REACH Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) and the Leadership Team based on criteria, including scientific merit, clinical relevance, intellectual property position, market potential, time to market, and portfolio diversity. The REACH IACs are made up of reviewers with scientific, clinical, and entrepreneurship expertise in intellectual property protection, technology transfer, and/or commercialization from universities within each of the state partners. All applicants who submit a pre-application will be notified of the outcome (invited or not invited to submit a full application) and will receive written feedback from the Mid-South REACH IAC review.

  • Applicants who are not invited to submit a full application are encouraged to meet with Mid-South REACH Project Managers in their state to discuss IAC feedback, areas in which the application could be strengthened, and/or strategies for alternative funding.

    Applicants who are invited to submit a full application will receive further instructions and information regarding the preparation of their full application and pitch presentation. Submission of a full application will involve additional training in research commercialization and assistance in creating a detailed product development plan and project milestones. Final funding decisions will be made following review by the Mid-South REACH External Review Board (ERB) and confirmed by the NIH Technology Guidance Committee (TGC).

Have Questions? Check out common FAQs below!

Mid-South REACH information session video is available (recorded 5/2/24)

FAQs

  • What is Mid-South Reach?

    Mid-South REACH is a four-year, $12 million NIH-funded initiative led by Vanderbilt University to establish the Mid-South Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH). The NIH contributes $4 million, supplemented by over $8 million in matching funds from partners including universities and economic entities. Focused on enhancing the real-world impact of biomedical innovations, REACH provides education, mentorship, and financial support to entrepreneurs across a four-state network (Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia), welcoming applicants from any university within these states. Click here to read more.

  • Why Should I Apply?

    The REACH program, established by the National Institutes of Health, focuses on bringing basic science discoveries to market by providing the following, in addition to funding:

    -Entrepreneurial training for innovators on how to bring technologies to market

    -Feedback/coaching from federal and industry experts

    -Funding to support early-stage product definition studies

    -Project management support

  • Who is Eligible?

    -Open to faculty, staff, trainees, and students at universities and technical schools in the following mid-south states: Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia.

    -Non-faculty applicants must identify a faculty member who is willing to sponsor their application.

    -Multiple Principal Investigators are permitted.

    -All personnel (including faculty sponsors) who are listed on an application must agree to participate and submit the application.

  • How is it different?

    -Non-traditional grant program focused on product development and required milestone-based project management

    -Mid-South REACH will award $2 million annually in funding across four states

    -Awards will be given in tranches that can total up to $200,000 per technology for product-focused research.

    -Renewable up to 4 times but must compete with other applicants for subsequent tranches.

  • What is the budget?

    -For Cycle 1, applicants should budget for up to $50,000 in direct costs for the 6-month award period (10/1/24 – 3/31/25). Applicants will be asked within the pre-application to outline how these funds will be used, but submission of an itemized budget is not required at this stage.

    -For Cycle 1, up to a total of 20 awards are planned across the four Mid-South REACH states.

  • What Technologies are Eligible?

    Applications must focus on the development of products/technologies that have the potential to improve patient care or enhance human health. There are no specific disease requirements, and all types of products (e.g., therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, tests, software) are eligible.

    Products, technologies, and/or ideas should both:

    -Originate from within an eligible university/community college in Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia.

    -Either (a) have existing intellectual property protection (e.g., patent, copyright, trademark) or (b) have potential to create new intellectual property. Technologies that are already licensed to a company are not eligible.

    -Disclosure of projects/technologies to an applicant’s respective technology transfer office is not required in order to submit a pre-application; however, disclosure will be required prior to the submission of a Mid-South REACH full application (if invited).

    -Clinical trials (by NIH definition) are not allowed.