Colorado AMC REACH Hub

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SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The goal of this project is to increase the speed and success rate of translating biomedical academic discoveries into products improving human health. To achieve this, we propose establishing a research evaluation and commercialization hub (Colorado REACH) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz), which will build programming that incorporates industry expertise, mentorship, skills development, and access to funding and relevant resources to guide inventors from ideation through proof-of- concept studies to early stages of product development. The Colorado REACH hub is designed to fulfill the goals of the FOA (RFA-OD- 19-014), but is tailored to leverage CU Anschutz’s existing assets and meet its specific needs. The university, with over 1000 active research labs, provides a robust pipeline of diverse technologies and the scientific infrastructure required for translational research. The Colorado REACH hub will build upon pre-existing REACH-like structures that incorporate industry mentorship, and which rely on and provide the necessary funding, education, and access to business and product development expertise to bridge the gap between innovative scientific ideas and the marketplace. The REACH Hub has three major aims: (1) identify the most promising technologies and provide funding for product definition studies, (2) promote commercialization of selected products, enable access to technology development resources and facilitate formation of strong spinout companies, and (3) expand educational, experiential, and networking opportunities for stakeholders. The Colorado REACH hub will not only encourage and facilitate innovation, but itself will include innovative characteristics: 1) an innovative governance structure to integrate the three main goals and avoid silos; 2) a geographically focused program to expedite operations and maximize impact on the local ecosystem, but building in ways to share resources and lessons learned with IDeA states; 3) a proactive, rather than passive, approach to education; 4) a mentored technology development grant program that requires early interactions between scientists, tech transfer staff, and industry consultants; and 5) an emphasis on improving academia- industry relationships by increasing mutual understanding, ensuring robust technologies, and being responsive to industry needs. Institutional and regional commitment to the Colorado REACH Hub is evident from the matching funds and numerous letters of support.