Request for Applications

VA-TEAM is a national center established to increase translational awareness and knowledge within the VA, move VA-funded research toward commercialization, and help VA researchers consider the challenges of translation as they pursue research.

The primary objective of this program is to provide a mentorship and training program to enable VA investigators to translate their research concepts to the clinical market so veterans can benefit from VA-funded research. A further objective is to more broadly educate investigators on the elements of commercialization to prime the pump for future translational projects. The program builds upon a pressure-tested translational mentorship and training methodology involving a combination of mentorship, didactic content, and active participation by awardees. This program is similar to the C3i program.

The program is designed to provide innovators with the specialized business frameworks and essential tools for successful translation of biomedical technologies from the lab (concept) to the market (clinic). Through this program, the VA fosters the development and commercialization of early-stage biomedical technologies by engaging investigators who are interested in better understanding the value of their innovation in addressing an unmet market need—especially if there is a benefit to Veteran health care. The curriculum and customized mentoring provided by the program are intended to guide investigators as they assess the commercial viability and potential business opportunity for their innovation.

The program is a 48-week long program, divided into two phases, and consists of weekly teleconferences, lectures, and homework, plus an in person group event.  Participants in the program will develop a comprehensive set of core skills that will enable them to:

• Evaluate whether a compelling unmet market need exists for their proposed solution

• Assess whether there is a viable business opportunity that can be built to meet this need

• Build a compelling pitch presentation to secure support from potential investors and other business partners.

The teams will be guided through a series of lectures and interactive exercises, pressure-testing commercial viability of ideas using universal business criteria as well as the unique requirements of medical commercialization. Participants also work weekly with experienced business advisors and subject matter experts who provide insights into the market sector, intellectual property, regulatory, and reimbursement requirements specific for their projects.

The first 10 weeks, Phase 1, of the course, will focus on characterizing the unmet market need, identifying the customer and stakeholder segments, conducting customer and stakeholder interviews, and validating the business opportunity. The remaining weeks, Phase 2 of the course, will provide commercialization planning support, covering intellectual property strategy, regulatory and reimbursement requirements, risk assessment, milestone creation and valuation, and preparations for licensing your work to commercial partners.

Sixteen teams will be selected to participate in Phase 1.  Of these teams, eight will be selected at the end of Phase 1 to continue to Phase 2.

The program is a 48-week long program, divided into two phases, and consists of weekly teleconferences, lectures, and homework, plus two all-day remote group events. Each team will be assigned a project manager, a business advisor, and a group of national level advisors with specific expertise that matches the project. These subject matter experts provide insights into the market sector, intellectual property, regulatory, and reimbursement requirements specific for their projects. The teams will be guided through a series of lectures and interactive exercises, pressure-testing commercial viability of ideas using universal business criteria as well as the unique requirements of medical commercialization.

The first 10 weeks, Phase 1 of the course, will focus on characterizing the unmet market need, identifying the customer and stakeholder segments, conducting customer and stakeholder interviews, and validating the business opportunity. The remaining weeks, Phase 2 of the course, will provide commercialization planning support, covering intellectual property strategy, regulatory and reimbursement requirements, risk assessment, milestone creation and valuation, and preparations for pitching to investors and/or strategic partners.

Participants in the program will develop a comprehensive set of core skills that will enable them to:

● Evaluate and validate the unmet clinical need,

● Assess various viable business opportunities that could be built to meet this need,

● Develop a timeline of activities necessary to move the research to the point where it can be licensed, and

● Build a compelling pitch presentation to communicate their clinical need and value proposition to assist

with the licensing efforts.

The first phase will consist of a series of online workshops consisting of training in specific knowledge areas necessary for translating academic research to commercialization and will highlight the unique environment of accomplishing this for veteran health care. Each team will be expected to attend each workshop and prepare homework specific to their projects between each session. Teams will be expected to interview 4-6 stakeholders in their field to validate the clinical need. At the end of this phase, each team will prepare a short pitch to present to our leadership team, selection committee, and their peers. The best pitches will be chosen to participate in the second phase. The goal of the first phase is to broadly increase awareness of the commercialization process and develop a more robust translational research culture within the VA. Teams from all four VA research services are invited to participate.

A subset of Phase 1 teams will be selected to continue to Phase 2. In this second phase, focused on mentorship and project management, teams chosen through the pitch competition will be vetted by our oversight committee, and then selected for participation. The program builds on an already validated and deployed model, and is divided into

the following components:

• Webinar Curriculum – Throughout the year, further training on commercialization will be conducted through monthly video conference sessions. Sessions will focus on topics such as market sizing, reimbursement, value, financing, regulatory, reimbursement, customer discovery, validation, and clinical trials.

• Online Curriculum – Each participant in the program will receive access to a comprehensive online curriculum of lectures and activities that match the cadence of the program.

• Mentorship – Each team selected will participate in weekly meetings with a small mentor group composed of the investigative team, a business mentor, and a project manager. Early in the year, much of the discussion will focus on feedback received during customer discovery. As the year proceeds, the focus will shift towards the formation of a business plan. A mentorship pool of approximately 15 experts in biomedical technology commercialization will be assembled for each cohort, and the business mentor and project manager for each team will be drawn from this pool. The VA technology transfer specialist assigned to the technology will be invited to join the team.

• Quarterly Check-ins – Each quarter, all teams will present to the full business advisor team to receive feedback on their project and ensure progress.

• Bootcamp - The program contains a multiday, intensive bootcamp in Dallas. During the bootcamp, teams will obtain feedback from different groups of business experts and present and iterate on business aspects of their project. The bootcamp is combined with the NIH C3i program leading to additional networking and learning opportunities.

• Resources – The commercialization plan for the project will be reviewed to define the resources required for future development and identify VA mechanisms to support. Assistance with COI, TTO, outside collaborations, potential funding, etc. are provided. VA TEAM participants are competitive for the new VA translational funding mechanisms, VA TTO programs such as BRAVE and Merit Awards. We are actively working on additional VA resources to support translational projects. Previous participants remain eligible for assistance.

• Finale – The program will culminate in a final virtual presentation, where teams will pitch their concepts. Key VA officials, including technology transfer, will be invited to this event.

This is an educational program and does not have attached funding.

Projects selected for Phase 1 will begin in June and the final presentation will be in August. Projects selected to continue to Phase 2 will begin in late September and continue through the end of March.

• Applicants must have filed an invention disclosure with VA Technology Transfer Program, and VA must have some ownership of the intellectual property.  This will be confirmed with a short confirmation of support from the VA TTP.

• Each full proposal should have co-principal investigators:  One clinical PI and one investigative PI (engineering or scientific research PI).  Other team members who are passionate about translation should also participate.  If you do not currently have a co-PI, we encourage you to apply anyway and we can help find contacts for you.

• Successful applications will have existing or planned funding sufficient to move the project toward translation.

• Teams, across all participants should be prepared to devote at least 2 hours per week, and up to 5 hours at times, to the lectures, homework, and meetings with advisors. 

Criteria

Projects described in the application must relate directly to applications in health care, and special consideration will be given to projects with potential to positively influence Veteran healthcare. The objectives of the project should include an outcome that will benefit patients. Evaluation of each proposal include strength of clinical need, potential health care impact and significance, focus on Veteran needs, experience of the investigators, and the potential for commercialization.

Application

More information and the application instructions “VA-TEAM PY2025 Application Template” may be found at https://www.va-team.org/ or by contacting the program director at info@va-team.org or kjg@case.edu.