UH Harrington Discovery Institute has launched the Harrington Scholar-Innovator grant competition that serves as a nationwide search for physician-scientists seeking support to accelerate their promising drug discoveries into novel treatments for patients.

Lacking government and investor funding and partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, many researchers have drug discoveries that are unable to advance into clinical development. Aimed at addressing this critical issue, the annual grant competition will offer to support the translation of research from laboratory to early development stages. Up to 10 physician-scientists each year will be supported with Harrington Scholar-Innovator grants of up to $200,000 over two years. Guiding the selection of the grant winners are seven prominent physician-scientists who have joined the UH Harrington Discovery Institute scientific advisory board.

"This is an important step forward for our exciting initiative, which is to create a new model for drug discovery and development in academia," said the institute's director, Jonathan Stamler, MD. "Supporting physician-scientists through the Harrington Scholar-Innovator grants in their early research will address the funding and expertise gaps that exist, thereby helping these researchers to move their clinical discoveries forward."

The UH Harrington Discovery Institute, launched in February, is the not-for-profit academic medical engine of The Harrington Discovery and Development Project: a first-of-its-kind, $250 million initiative that also includes a mission-aligned, for-profit development company. Aligning these entities for the first time at an academic medical center provides a comprehensive model to advance discoveries into development and to create novel drugs and therapies for patient care.

"Beyond the grant, we will be there every step of the way for entrepreneurial physician-scientists," added Stamler. "Physician-scientists will be able to tap into a peer network of innovators and mentors within the UH Harrington Discovery Institute's infrastructure to support their discovery efforts."

The grant application is open to physician-scientists at accredited academic medical centers, research institutions and universities in the U.S. Applicants must have a doctorate in medicine and must demonstrate exceptional promise as physician-scientists. The grant will recognize the importance of innovation to the mission of the physician-scientist. Applications found here are due by 5 p.m. ET, August 1, 2012, and recipients will be announced in the spring of 2013 at the UH Harrington Discovery Institute's inaugural scientific symposium.