Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator

Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator

Offers Harvard biomedical innovators pilot support for early proof-of-concept delivery.

The Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator (BBA) is Harvard's principal internal proof-of-concept funding mechanism for early-stage biomedical research, administered by the Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD). The BBA was endowed with seed funding from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and is now operated entirely by Harvard OTD. It funds translation of early-stage research across four defined focus areas: cell and gene therapy, infectious and inflammatory diseases, platform technologies, and medical devices, with the broader 2026 RFP welcoming proposals across therapeutics, diagnostics, drug delivery technologies, medical devices and instruments, and enabling technologies for drug discovery.

Two application tracks are available: Pilot Awards for shorter proof-of-concept work and Development Awards for projects further along the path toward commercialization. Specific 2026 award amounts and the full deadline matrix — including pre-proposal and full-proposal deadlines for each track — are published in the downloadable PDF RFP available at otd.harvard.edu. Historically, Pilot Award pre-proposals have been due in September and Development Award pre-proposals around mid-January, though exact 2026 deadlines are confirmed only in the PDF. Eligibility is restricted to Harvard principal investigators across FAS, HMS, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and SEAS; external applicants are not eligible.

All intellectual property arising from BBA-funded work is governed by Harvard OTD's standard IP policies. Applicants should download the 2026 PDF RFP from the BBA faculty page at otd.harvard.edu/accelerators/blavatnik-biomedical-accelerator/faculty/ and direct questions to blavatnik_accelerator@harvard.edu. The BBA annual cycle has been consistent since its founding, and Harvard PIs with early-stage biomedical innovations should treat this program as a primary first-step funding source before seeking external venture or NIH translational funding.