The Pat & Shirley Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund, a $35 million initiative of Northwestern University and the Ryan Family Foundation, is advancing life sciences research with immediate societal impact.
Over three rounds of funding, the initiative has awarded more than $6 million to support 25 groundbreaking projects from a competitive pool of 177 proposals submitted by Northwestern researchers. Panels of faculty and external experts evaluated proposals, and a University leadership committee then assessed the recommendations.
In its third round, the fund awarded more than $2 million to support nine exceptional research projects that aim to translate cutting-edge life science discoveries into transformative, practical solutions.
Made possible by a gift from the Patrick G. ’59, ’09 H and Shirley W. Ryan ’61, ’19 H (’97, ’00 P) Family, the Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund plays a pivotal role in advancing Northwestern’s research mission, in particular the University’s priority to advance the biosciences. It does so by providing strategic seed funding to help turn promising discoveries into real-world applications. Created to bridge the critical gap between academic proof of concept and commercialization known as the “valley of death,” the fund supports high-impact projects with strong translational potential.
Full story: Ryan Family Research Acceleration Fund advances breakthrough science – Northwestern Now
