Pairing Physicians and Engineers to Improve Health
About the Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program
The University of Missouri Coulter Biomedical Accelerator (MU Coulter Accelerator Program) began in 2012 as a 5-year, $5 million partnership between MU and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. In 2016, MU committed $4 million to continue funding the program through 2022. The MU Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program capitalizes on the best of academia and industry to accelerate the translation of biomedical innovations into products that improve patient care. The program bridges the gap between academic research and industry by providing funding to engineer-clinician teams. These teams perform experiments to generate data that subsequently attract the professional funding needed to continue commercialization of the technology.
Program Success
Since its inception in 2012, the MU Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program has awarded more than $3.8 million in bridge grant funding to 32 projects more than $437,000 in seed grant funding to 17 early stage projects. A total of 80+ technical and clinical investigators have received Coulter funding. These investments have led to $17.6 million in new government grants and $7.3 million in professional funding (angel investment, venture capital). In addition, the MU Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program Office has provided business advice to another 130+ technical and clinical investigators on more than 150 projects. The Program has had four “Coulter wins”. These include two start-ups that have each raised more than $500,000 and two Coulter technologies that have been successfully licensed to established companies that are continuing commercialization of the technology.
The MU Coulter Biomedical Accelerator program makes a significant and growing impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in mid-Missouri.
As there are only 15 universities in the world with Coulter Programs, the MU Coulter Biomedical Accelerator Program is an important differentiator for MU.
