Drug Discovery and Developing Funding for Physician Scientists and Basic Research for Medicine | Harrington Scholar-Innovator | Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals

From Our Scholars

“The Harrington program is invaluable, not just because of the financial support of our research project, but the tutorial, the teaching and the mentorship...Harrington really helped me communicate the clinical need from the patient's perspective, the market and basically gave me all the tools to start talking to investors."

JEAN TANG, MD, PhD
Professor of Dermatology
Stanford University
2014 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

“Working with our Harrington team, there have been more than one 'why didn't I think of that?' moments."

DONALD WEAVER, MD, PhD
Director, Krembil Research Institute
University of Toronto University Health Network
2020 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

“Our Harrington advisors are insightful and brilliant scientists."

JILL SMITH, MD
Professor of Medicine
Georgetown University
2021 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

“Harrington is committed to helping us find answers. They share our curiosity."

DIANA FARMER, MD
Distinguished Professor of Surgery
University of California, Davis
2022 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

“Without question, the monthly advisory meetings have sharpened our focus and expedited the pace of our progress.”

LOREN WALENSKY, MD, PhD
Professor, Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Professor, Pediatric Oncology, Chemical Biology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2022 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

“Harrington is very much a hybrid between the best of academia and the best of industry. It gives you access to the best of the medical industry with excellent consultants and project managers who have brought products to market, combined with the risk-taking of academia."

MICHAEL PACOLD, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
New York University
2023 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

“Harrington connects me with experts who can give me direct feedback from a pharmaceutical company's leadership perspective, which is very useful."

MING-RU WU, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2023 Harrington Scholar-Innovator

Grant Opportunity

This scholar award recognizes outstanding physician-scientists whose work has potential to advance standard of care. Each year up to 12 Harrington Scholar-Innovators are chosen. The award includes:

Two-year grant
$100,000 guaranteed grant award
Opportunity to compete for acceleration funds up to $300,000
Opportunity to qualify for investment funds typically up to $2MM
A personalized team of drug developers and project manager for each award recipient
Expert business, commercialization and clinical development advice
Regulatory assistance
Intellectual property (IP) review and advice
Assistance identifying and securing additional financial support based on project needs

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Eligibility Criteria

MD or MD/PhD (or equivalent)
Faculty position at an accredited academic medical center, university or research institution in the US or Canada, and conduct the majority of his/her/their research at that institution
A project must have a single Principal Investigator (PI), who is responsible for project oversight and financial management. The PI may engage collaborators, core labs or commercial CROs to execute any portion of the project.
Past recipients of Harrington awards may submit new and distinct proposals, but may not seek additional support for previously funded projects.

Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason, other than issues with the Harrington Discovery Institute’s submission system. Proposals received after the deadline will not be reviewed.

Discoveries Sought

The Harrington Scholar-Innovator award selection committee seeks breakthrough discoveries defined by innovation, creativity and potential for clinical impact, including:

Discoveries deemed to address unmet medical needs
Modulators of novel targets
Potential to be developed into a commercial program
Strong intellectual property (IP) or protection strategy
May be a small molecule, biologic, or other therapeutic modality
Diagnostics or devices only acceptable as part of a therapeutic development project

Important Dates

The class of 2025 Scholar-Innovators will be announced in April 2025.

Call Opens for Letters of Intent (LOI)
April 7, 2025
LOI Submission Deadline
June 4, 2025
Full Application Deadline for those Invited
August 4, 2025
Announce 2026 Scholar-Innovators
April 2026

HOW TO APPLY APPLY NOW

Harrington Scholar-Innovator

From Our Scholars

Grant Opportunity

Eligibility Criteria

Discoveries Sought

Important Dates

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