Mapping tool highlights NIH-funded small business successes

Over $1 billion in annual investments drive critical biomedical innovation and discovery

A new interactive mapping tool from the National Institutes of Health showcases just some of the many small businesses that have developed successful healthcare products with the help of NIH small business funding, which totals over $1 billion annually. Highlighting 50-plus small businesses across the United States, the interactive map links to the story behind healthcare products and services that the NIH small business program has supported through grants.

NIH small business funding, for example, helped set the stage for BioMedomics of North Carolina to pivot from a rapid blood test for diagnosing sickle cell disease to a rapid COVID-19 blood test that provides results within 15 minutes. The company recently teamed up with BD, a global medical technology company, to distribute the test in the U.S pending authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

The interactive tool can also help users find stories by stage of development, funding institute, woman or minority owned businesses, and more. Investors can get a good understanding for how NIH involvement strengthens cutting-edge technologies that move toward improved patient access, while entrepreneurs can be inspired by the successes of their peers. Additionally, Congressional representatives can find NIH-funded small business successes in their own state or district using the filters. The first 50 stories are just the start — stories will be added regularly to highlight NIH-supported small businesses that are changing people’s lives.

“It’s important to show how NIH funding and support helps innovators convert their laboratory discoveries into solutions that address some of the nation’s highest healthcare priorities,” said Dr. Matthew McMahon, director of NIH’s Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) office. “In the end, the public benefits by gaining access to a stream of innovative new therapies and cures.”

Select a pin in San Francisco and read about the tremor-cancelling spoon(link is external) that helps patients with movement disorders like cerebral palsy and Huntington’s disease feed themselves. The innovative medical device was developed by Anupam Pathak of Lift Labs, who received small business program funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke that helped him propel the advanced technology into people’s daily lives.

SEED’s mission is to educate and support innovators to advance their research from bench to bedside. The success story mapping tool complements the existing suite of tools for exploring the collection of over 1,500 life science and healthcare companies that NIH invests in each year. Together these tools illustrate the significant value and effectiveness of federal investments in science and technology.

About the NIH Office of Extramural Research: OER provides the corporate framework for NIH research administration. OER also provides leadership for the small business program at NIH through SEED.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®