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Rural Health Information Hub

Rocky Mountain Pilot Award Research Funding

Sponsors
Rocky Mountain Research Evaluation & Commercialization Hub (RMT-REACH), University of Montana
Deadlines
Letter of Intent (Required): Feb 7, 2025
Application: May 9, 2025
Contact
Purpose

Rocky Mountain REACH will provide funding and technical assistance to support the translational advancement of promising health innovations with a focus on proof-of-concept and go-to-market strategy activities. Supported innovations may span the spectrum of health outcomes, including therapeutics, preventives, diagnostics, devices, methods, or research tools that move the needle forward on unmet patient and public health needs.

Proposals will be evaluated on:

  • Unmet need (high disease burden/health disparities) and clinical impact on populations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
  • Translational potential and product feasibility
  • Technology development stage and project planning

Technologies may be in the areas of:

  • Small molecule therapeutics
  • Biologics or cell-based therapies
  • Interventional medical devices
  • Diagnostic medical devices
  • Health IT, software, apps, and algorithms

A detailed list of appropriate technology development is provided in the application instructions.

Eligibility

Criteria:

  • Principal Investigators (PIs) must meet the eligibility requirements outlined by their academic institution.
  • Open to faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students. (Students and postdoctoral researchers must identify a faculty sponsor.)
  • Eligible PIs must be affiliated with an academic institution in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming.
  • Collaborators from non-academic institutions are eligible to apply with an eligible PI.
  • The project's intellectual property must be owned by or otherwise assigned to an academic institution in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming.
  • The project technology must be at pre-company stage and cannot be encumbered by a licensing agreement.

Projects should align with the mission of RMT-REACH, which aims to:

  1. Reduce the barriers and bridge the resource gap facing academic innovators across Montana, Alaska, Idaho, and Wyoming
  2. Accelerate commercialization of health innovations that address unmet medical needs across the region, with an emphasis on representative teams and products that serve populations in rural, geographically-isolated regions, and regionalized communities.
Geographic coverage
Montana, Alaska, Idaho, and Wyoming
Amount of funding

Award ceiling: $50,000
Project period: 6-12 months
Estimated number of awards: 4

In addition to receiving proof-of-concept funding, an RMT-REACH Project Manager will be assigned to support the project's progress, recruitment of domain experts for development, and advise on strategies to make products widely accessible. Awardees will also have access to an array of experts ranging from regulatory strategy, intellectual property, market analysis, and grant development.

Awarded teams will be eligible to apply for an additional $50,000 through the RMT-REACH Drive Award funding opportunity, which is anticipated to be released in 2026.

Application process

Links to additional guidance, application instructions, and the online pre-application portal are available on the program website.

The application process is listed on the program website. Applicants that are invited to submit a full application are required to participate in workshops and project pitch sessions.

Tagged as
Frontier and remote areas · Health disparities · Health information technology · Healthcare needs and services · Research methods and resources · Technology for health and human services · Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention · Alaska · Idaho · Montana · Wyoming



For complete information about funding programs, including your application status, please contact funders directly. Summaries are provided for your convenience only. RHIhub does not take part in application processes or monitor application status.