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Our application period/request for proposals is CLOSED.

See below for information on preferred proposal content, and submission process.

MedBlue Incubator typically invites members of the Duke University community to apply for funding and business support once or twice each year and will be announced in advance of the application period. 

Applications are thoroughly reviewed by the Technology Review Committee, which selects the most promising medical technology opportunities for support by the MedBlue Incubator program. The committee makes its recommendations for funding to the MedBlue board of directors.

NOTE:  Funding is an investment up to $75,000 and is intended for development of the technology in a company setting (including for formation of a company, if not already formed), and is not intended for use by an investigator as research funds for the investigator’s lab.

Technology Review Committee evaluates applications* based on a number of criteria, which include:

  • Brief introduction of overall scope, problem and solution

  • Innovation/robustness of technology

    • Is it novel, commercially attractive and tractable?

  • Commercial potential

    • Is there an unmet medical need? Market size? More than one substantial medical application?

  • Development status

    • Is there a prototype, screening method for identifying candidates, or functional assays to further develop candidates?

  • Key development milestones

    • Does the proposal identify key milestones, technology used and costs to achieve?

  • Potential sources for raising additional funding, such as government grants (e.g. SBIR/STTR, NC BioTech) and additional investors

    • Is this technology appealing to investors and commercial partners? Proposals should identify some deals made in this area of technology, if possible. Alternatively, list companies developing products in this space.

  • Intellectual property

    • What are the status and prospects of IP filings?

  • Financial

    • Investments and grants to date

    • Budget or proforma

*Note: There is no specific format for the application other than to address the above-listed criteria.  Typical application length is from 3-7 pages.  An application should be submitted via the link, including supporting documents and a presentation deck.

Apply no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the application closing day.

To learn more or submit a completed application, please contact Dr. Dani Bolognesi, Chair of the Technology Review Committee.