The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), announced that it is accepting letters of intent (LOI) for Grant Round 16 to fund the development and commercialization of life science projects that address major unmet needs for improving human health and advance Virginia’s economy.
“We are proud to continue supporting research investigators and entrepreneurs in achieving value for Virginia and the nation,” said Mike Grisham, CEO of Virginia Catalyst. “Our Grant Round 16 is open and we are looking for passionate research scientists and entrepreneurial leaders in high-growth life science businesses in Virginia who could use $200,000 to $800,000 in non-dilutive grant funding to further a project that improves human health and advances economic development in the Commonwealth. We strongly encourage interested parties to visit the Virginia Catalyst website and apply.”
Letters of Intent (LOI) must be received by January 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST. Projects that meet funding criteria will be invited to submit a full application. Applications will be reviewed and scored by an independent review team of scientists, venture capitalists and CEOs of Virginia-based life science companies. The top eight applicant teams will be invited to present their proposal the week of March 25, 2024. Awards will be announced in April 2023. The LOI submission form, along with funding criteria and frequently asked questions, are available on the Virginia Catalyst website (www.virginiacatalyst.org/apply.html).
We encourage all interested applicant teams to view our webinar that was co-hosted by Virginia Catalyst and Virginia Bio. This webinar featured an expert panel, facilitated by Mike Grisham, CEO of Virginia Catalyst, to share what it takes to score highly, get funding and position your company and research university for significant follow-on funding from large corporations, venture capitalists, DARPA, NIH and philanthropic foundations. This webinar can be viewed, and the slides downloaded on the home page of Virginia Catalyst at: https://www.virginiacatalyst.org/
Cumulatively through the first 15 funding rounds, Virginia Catalyst has dedicated a total of $27.6 million for 57 collaborative projects. Together, these projects have created over 300 new jobs and have attracted an additional $821 million of investment capital from venture capital, private equity, corporations and government agencies including DARPA, NIH and NSF.
Learn more here.