Bridging Academia and Industry
Education Program for Faculty
MGB Research – Course and Project Competition
Co-Founded and Co-Directed by:
Gabriela Apiou, PhD, Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair in Translational Sciences, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School
Robert Tepper, MD, Founder and Partner, Third Rock Ventures, Adjunct Faculty, Harvard Medical School
stodorova@mgh.harvard.edu
5085612240
stodorova@mgh.harvard.edu
At a Glance
Bridging Academia and Industry is an innovative education program at Mass General Brigham Research designed for early- to mid- career fundamental and clinical research investigators based in academic medical centers. Through its unique and comprehensive curriculum, it teaches the why and how of translating discoveries to patient care through collaborations across academia and industry, and provides an unparalleled opportunity to build an exceptional network of academic and industry collaborators.
Composed of a rigorous didactic and powerful hands-on experience through storytelling, a project competition and one-year $150,000 project award. Taught and mentored by 100+ faculty – all volunteers – leaders in academia, industry (large pharma, biotech, medical device, AI/digital health, consumer and venture industries), and government.
In its ninth year, Bridging Academia and Industry has received excellent feedback, emphasizing the need and high impact of such a program in terms of engagement in relevant collaborations that advance innovation and career trajectory. Our alumni said it best—"life-changing!”
The program is made possible through philanthropic gifts, along with internal funds directed by colleagues who champion this program. We are grateful for their generous support. To learn how you can help support the Bridging Academia and Industry education program, please contact Todd Krohne at tkrohne@mgh.harvard.edu or 508-561-2240.
Requirements
Eligibility
- Mass General Brigham Research/Harvard Medical School faculty, Instructor level and up (MD and/or PhD)
- Nominated by Department Chairs/Institute Directors/Division Chiefs/Thematic Center Directors
- Approx. 25 trainees to be selected for the class of 2027
Time commitment
- 16 sessions from January 21, 2027, to May 20, 2027
- Thursdays from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET
*The program has been conceived as an interactive and hands-on experience with attendance being a prerequisite to achieve the learning objectives. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. Faculty trainees are required to participate in each session in its entirety.
Location
MGH Simches Research Center
Room 3110 (Auditorium)
Charles River Plaza
Program Overview
The Bridging Academia and Industry education program is built on two pillars: course and project competition.
Course
The course is structured in four modules and covers academic and industry perspectives on:
1. Fundamentals (Introduction to the Course and to Translational Research)
2. Research and Development (Therapeutics, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, AI/Digital Health, and Intellectual Property)
3. Business Development and Commercialization (Go-to-Market Planning, Exit Strategies)
4. Translation Stories (Therapeutics, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, AI/Digital Health)
All faculty trainees taking the course will be able to:
- Understand the vital importance of collaboration across academia and industry to transform new discoveries into novel solutions to major healthcare challenges. Learn the challenges and rewards.
- Learn the common language.
- Appreciate through concrete examples what it really takes to go from the lab to market and clinical practice.
- Understand the overarching processes governing translation. Learn the principles underlying research and development, intellectual property, business development and commercialization from academic and industry perspectives.
- Recognize how to advance a career in translational sciences including identifying career development opportunities and finding further training programs.
- Build a network of leaders from academia, biopharma and venture industries.
Project Competition
All faculty trainees will enter the project competition that will take place in three phases: (i) “elevator pitch” presentation of individual ‘problem worth solving’ ideas, aggregation of ideas into projects, formation of project teams, and assignment of faculty mentors, (ii) dry run presentation of project proposals, (iii) final presentation of project proposals and team award selection.
All faculty trainees will give an elevator pitch presentation of the most important problem (biology, technology, medicine) that their research aims to solve in front of a panel composed of select project competition faculty. All problems will be discussed and aggregated into broad scientific and medical themes.
The project teams will then be composed of those participants who have suggested a problem-worth-solving under each of these broad umbrellas.
It will then be a decision of the project team to discuss and focus the project on one or more aspects of the scientific theme. Three faculty mentors from academia and industry will be assigned to each project team to help articulate the proposal and prepare for the final presentation.
The project teams will give one dry run presentation in front of their mentors and a group of project competition faculty to get advice, tips, and tricks for improvement.
All teams will present their final project proposals in front of a panel of judges composed of academia and industry teaching faculty including their mentors. One $150,000 award will be granted to one project team to support a 1-year effort to perform research and advance the project along the translational pathway to a relevant inflection point.
How to Apply
Class of 2027 Program Deadlines
Call for nominations: Week of October 12, 2026
Candidate nominations: November 3, 2026
Application submission: November 24, 2026, 5 PM, EST
Trainee selections: Week of December 7, 2026
Class of 2027 announcement: Week of December 14, 2026
Class of 2027 Application and Selection Process
Applications must include:
- NIH Biosketch (Biographical Sketch Common Form)
- One-page description of the scope and nature of the most important problem (biology, technology, medicine) that your research aims to solve.
- Letter of motivation specifying interest and any past or current experience in translational sciences.
- One letter of recommendation describing how this program will impact your career development.
Applications must be sent by email to Stanimira (Mira) Todorova, stodorova@mgh.harvard.edu by 5:00 PM EST on November 24, 2026, with the following subject line: “Application: Bridging Academia and Industry 2027”.
All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee.
Class Snapshots
The program was taught by 40 faculty: 22 from academia and 18 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition and were ultimately placed into one of five project teams, and each developed project proposals under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry. The projects included innovative approaches to gene therapy, pain management, cancer diagnostics, gene regulation and strategies to improve clinical trial recruitment.
The program ended on May 9, 2019, with the project proposal presentations. One project detailing a new strategy for treating rare diseases via gene therapy received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and develop a go-to-market plan. An additional $150,000 award was given to the second top ranked project that seeks to combine non-opioid medication with virtual reality technology.
The program was taught by 38 faculty: 20 from academia and 18 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, we placed into six project teams, and developed project proposals under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry. The projects included innovative approaches to oncology therapies, cell therapy, gene editing, orthopedics, diagnostics in critical care, and device-based therapeutics.
The program ended on October 22, 2020, with the project proposal presentations. One project detailing a non-pharmacological approach to treating urinary tract infection using antimicrobial blue light received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and develop a go-to-market plan.
The program was taught by 42 faculty: 22 from academia and 20 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, seven project teams were formed, and project proposals were developed under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry.
The projects included approaches to clinical sensors, imaging in breast cancer resections, cancer diagnosis and treatment, stem cell therapies, digital therapeutics, and gene therapies for vasculopathies and inflammatory disease.
The program ended on May 20, 2021, with the project proposal presentations. One project using gene therapy to target inflammatory pathways in the treatment of alopecia areata received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and develop a go-to-market plan.
The program was taught by 44 faculty: 24 from academia and 20 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, seven project teams were formed, and project proposals were developed under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry.
The projects included the development of a diagnostic for dermatologic disease, a gene therapy approach to immune-oncology, a drug-eluting stent for the treatment of gastrointestinal strictures, an automated platform for the delivery of nerve blocks, and non-invasive approaches for the treatment of epilepsy and brain disorders, as well as validating a novel target for fibrotic disease.
The program ended on May 26, 2022, with the project proposal presentations. One project developing a novel, noninvasive skin patch to diagnose cellulitis received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and develop a go-to-market plan.
The course was taught by 48 faculty: 21 from academia and 27 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, six project teams were formed, and project proposals were developed under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry.
The projects included the development of a helmet breathing system to deliver continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for respiratory failure, an AI-driven software platform for melanoma recurrence prediction, a peptide mimetic for regenerating hearts for cardiac transplant surgery, a gene therapy system for neuromuscular diseases, a digital platform for early detection and optimized treatment of postpartum depression, and a magnetic field-controlled therapeutic platform for treating chronic inflammatory diseases.
The course ended on May 25, 2023, with the project proposal presentations. One project developing a novel, safe, tolerable, and affordable breathing system that delivers continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and advance the project along the translational pathway to a relevant inflection point.
The course was taught by 50 faculty: 27 from academia and 23 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, five project teams were formed, and project proposals were developed under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry. The projects included the development of eyedrops for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, a wearable device for detecting opioid overdoses, a guideline-based algorithm for managing and preventing pediatric food allergies, a diagnostic imaging device for predicting wound healing capacity and presence of infection, and a diagnostic liquid biopsy for HPV-associated cancers.
The course ended on May 23, 2024, with the project proposal presentations. One project developing a non-invasive eyedrop-based diagnostic test for harmful proteins in the retina that are highly correlated to Alzheimer’s disease in the brain received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and advance the project along the translational pathway to a relevant inflection point.
The course was taught by 60 faculty: 36 from academia and 24 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, six project teams were formed, and project proposals were developed under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry. The projects included the development of a non-invasive diagnostic for assessment of bladder pressure, a small molecule therapeutic for stimulant use disorder, an AI software platform that predicts early signatures of drug toxicity, a microfluidic platform for CAR T-cell manufacturing, a small molecule for broad-spectrum antibiotics, and a medical device and AI software for the detection of covert consciousness.
The course ended on May 22, 2025, with the project proposal presentations. One project developing a non-invasive method that integrates advanced imaging with computational fluid dynamics modeling to accurately evaluate bladder pressure, enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of patients with urinary conditions received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and advance the project along the translational pathway to a relevant inflection point.
The course was taught by 65 faculty: 35 from academia and 30 from industry. All trainees entered the project competition, six project teams were formed, and project proposals were developed under the guidance and mentorship of faculty from academia and industry. The projects included the development of an AI copilot for ophthalmologists that transforms complex clinical data into actionable insights to improve care and efficiency; an at home AI monitoring platform that detects early signs of post-surgical complications to enable timely intervention; a novel antibiotic-releasing knee implant to prevent infection after joint replacement surgery; a drug-eluting biomaterial designed to treat pancreatic and other pre-cancerous cysts through localized therapy; a tumor-targeted peptide-drug conjugate to treat colorectal cancer; and a diagnostic platform to predict fracture risk and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
The course ended on May 21, 2026, with the project proposal presentations. One project developing a peptide-drug conjugate designed to induce lethal Wnt hyperactivation in the 80% of colorectal cancer patients underserved by current targeted treatments received a $150,000 award to support 1-year effort to perform research and advance the project along the translational pathway to a relevant inflection point.
How to reach us
Stanimira (Mira) Todorova, Program Manager
stodorova@mgh.harvard.edu
stodorova@mgh.harvard.edu
1800555555
stodorova@mgh.harvard.edu