The Stanford Biomedical Innovation Initiative

The Stanford Biomedical Innovation Initiative is a philanthropic effort designed to ignite innovation in today’s challenging climate. Strategically targeting three vital areas of need, its flexible funding will power a simple concept that is the foundation of Stanford Medicine’s extraordinary success: when you set the best minds free to explore to the limits of their talent and imagination, they’ll deliver a brighter, better future.

Empowering students

with four years of independent funding so they can follow their scientific passions.

Unleashing genius

with endowments for both senior and junior faculty.
 

Inspiring curiosity

with competitive seed grants for the most innovative, out-of-the-box research ideas.

Biomedical discovery is exploding

We’re in the middle of a scientific revolution. Over the past two decades, biomedical knowledge has grown exponentially, giving us utterly new insights into how life works. Astonishing advances in genomics, bioinformatics, imaging, and stem cell medicine are offering up possibilities that were unimaginable just a few years ago. New tools that will allow us not only to heal disease, but to predict it and prevent it, are finally within our reach. This is more than just a revolution in science and health care—it’s a revolution in the human condition.

But the spark igniting it is on the verge of going out

The innovation that fuels this revolution is in danger. National funding for biomedical research is becoming increasingly constrained and conservative. The NIH grant acceptance rate has been cut in half since 2003, and the purchasing power of dollars awarded has decreased more than 25 percent. Today, it’s the safe and predictable projects that survive. Proven results are often expected up front, and novel approaches are often rejected out of hand. Brilliant scientists are spending more time writing grant proposals than conducting research. And as the next generation looks on, they’re growing more and more disillusioned. If we don’t act now, this blaze of discovery will dwindle, and the brightest hopes of this revolution will be extinguished.

You can have an explosive impact

You could turn an innovative idea into a Nobel Prize by funding seed grants. You could give a brilliant researcher the freedom to find a cure for Alzheimer’s by establishing a faculty endowment. You could give a young scientist the confidence to change the world by assuring independent funding. Your support can make a profound difference not just to science, but to patients everywhere. Together, we’ll make sure the full potential of this revolution is realized. We’ll finally have the power to stop even the most devastating diseases long before they can hurt you and those you love. And we’ll create a whole new generation of scientists with the skills and the spirit to make the world a healthier place. Everyone has a reason to care about this initiative and anyone with a passion for discovery can have a real impact. Please join us.


To learn more about how you can get involved, contact Medical Center Development.

Madeline Allan
Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts
Biomedical Innovation Initiative
madeline.allan@stanford.edu
650.724.4931