Turning scientific discoveries into new treatments for human disease is a complex process that takes significant time, investment, and collaboration. One of the greatest challenges occurs early in the translational process, when researchers must build enough evidence to secure the funding and partnerships needed to move promising discoveries forward. Often called the “valley of death,” this is where many scientific advances stall without the right funding and support.
Philanthropy plays a unique role in addressing this challenge. Unlike traditional research funders, philanthropic organizations are well positioned to invest in innovative, higher risk projects that might not yet be competitive for government or industry funding. By supporting these types of projects, philanthropy can help unlock the potential for larger-scale investments while advancing human health.
At the same time, philanthropic funders must ensure that finite resources are directed toward opportunities with the greatest potential for impact. Thoughtful program design can help balance these priorities, creating pathways for promising ideas to progress toward clinical application. The Falk Medical Research Trust (herein Falk Trust) Programs illustrate how philanthropy can reduce uncertainty, accelerate discovery, and move innovations through the development pipeline.
Inside the Falk Trust Medical Translational Research Programs
Since 2014, HRiA has partnered with the Falk Trust to support high-potential research that improves health and well-being. The Catalyst Research Award provides up to $350,000 over one to two years for high-risk, high-reward translational research. Designed to advance novel ideas, it supports investigators whose projects may lack preliminary data required to secure funding from traditional sources. Using a “fail-fast” approach, scientists can quickly determine which lines of research show sufficient promise for further development, and which are unlikely to succeed, helping direct resources toward projects with the greatest possibility for clinical application and patient benefit.
Projects that demonstrate substantial progress may be eligible for the Transformational Research Award, which offers up to an additional $1 million over two to three years. Together, these awards create a staged funding pathway that propels promising discoveries closer to clinical application and patient impact.
Program Design That De-Risks Translational Research Investment
HRiA worked closely with the Falk Trust to design and implement a funding model that balances ambitious scientific investment with careful stewardship of resources. Collectively, these design elements address common obstacles in translating biomedical innovations. Key program features include:
| Focus on clinical relevance Prioritizes projects that generate evidence needed to advance potential discoveries into patient impact. | Emphasis on team science Encourages collaboration across disciplines and sectors, including partnerships among researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and advocacy organizations. |
| Two-phase, milestone-driven funding Supports early investment in high-risk concepts, while providing additional funding to projects demonstrating meaningful progress. | Broad participation in the research ecosystem Invests in a diverse portfolio of institutions and researchers, expanding opportunity beyond traditional funding networks and research hubs. |
A Case Study in Translational Research Funding
One example of the Falk Trust’s approach in action is the work of Jeannette Messer at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Messer’s lab, with support from a multidisciplinary team that included clinicians, therapeutic development specialists, commercialization experts, and a patient representative, pursued a novel strategy for blocking the attachment of microbes to human tissues—a critical first step in infection of many types of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes. The approach has the potential to prevent or treat a broad range of infectious diseases.
A Catalyst Research Award in 2019 provided early foundational support for the project. The project initially intended to identify small molecules capable of blocking microbial attachment. However, as research progressed, the team encountered challenges that prompted the redesign of its screening methods to improve how potential therapies were evaluated. Parallel research suggested that antibodies targeting the same microbial attachment mechanism had stronger therapeutic promise. The knowledge and tools developed during the Catalyst Award phase strengthened the project’s scientific foundation and helped the team pivot in a new direction with greater translational potential.
A Transformational Research Award in 2022 provided follow-on support to further develop and evaluate the efficacy of the antibody-based strategy in cell lines and animal models – a critical step before human testing of a new therapeutic. The program’s milestone-driven funding structure enabled continued investment as promising findings emerged and the research evolved. The project also reflects the program’s commitment to supporting innovation across a geographically diverse research ecosystem, including institutions outside many traditional funding centers.
The research has since led to publications, patent applications, and additional funding. The team also generated evidence that expanded the potential reach of the therapeutic and informed new directions for development. The project illustrates how well-designed philanthropic funding can create space for discovery, adaptation, and continued progress toward treatments that improve human health.
Applying These Lessons to Your Translational Research Funding Strategy
The Falk Trust Medical Research Programs demonstrate that philanthropy does not need to choose between supporting ambitious science and managing risk. Thoughtful program design can help funders generate the evidence needed to advance promising discoveries, attract follow-on investment, and accelerate progress toward patient impact.
Every funder’s mission and strategy are unique. By aligning funding structures with desired outcomes, philanthropic organizations can build research portfolios that maximize both scientific opportunity and long-term impact. Philanthropy’s role in advancing new therapies has never been more critical. We invite foundations and other funders to join in the effort to maintain the momentum of biomedical discovery.
HRiA partners with foundations and nonprofit funders to design, implement, and manage biomedical and translational research funding programs that translate scientific innovation into improved health outcomes.
Learn more about the Falk Trust’s Catalyst and Transformational award programs.
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