Request for Applications (RFA)
Station 41: Therapeutics Development Fund
Are you a founder or PI with an early-stage (Technology Readiness Level 1-4) therapeutic product? Southern Research is launching the Therapeutics Development Fund to support participating startups and innovators with technical and entrepreneurial support.
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An already existing company, or willing to work with Southern Research to create a company around the product
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Willing to locate headquarters in an Alabama New Market Tax Credit Zone (i.e., Southern Research campus or another qualifying zone, unless already located in one)
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Ability to begin the headquarters location process before Q1 2024
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Product is intended to undergo FDA-regulated processes for IND application and ultimately NDA approval
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With support from Innovate Alabama, Southern Research’s Therapeutics Development Fund invests between $300k to $500k via in-kind technical and commercialization assistance for equity to bridge the gap to critical sources of follow-on funding, such as angel and venture capital and industry partnerships.
We seek a broad and flexible spectrum of early-stage/preclinical companies to support a diversified portfolio of projects. Projects will be accepted across a range of therapeutic areas and modalities, and will ultimately be selected to align with Southern Research’s technical capabilities.
Investment terms will be determined individually with successful participants. Investments may take the form of direct equity, convertible notes, milestones, shared IP interest, or other mechanisms. We will work with you to identify the mechanism best suited for your product and company.
In late 2022, Southern Research formally launched Station 41, a suite of commercialization programs designed to serve early-stage therapeutic and vaccine companies and projects at Technology Readiness Levels ranging from basic research to broad Commercialization. With that, Station 41 programs have operated since as early as 2008. The name Station 41 holds deep significance—the number “41” is a tribute to SR’s founding year in 1941; for more than eight decades, SR has been at the forefront of scientific breakthroughs, pushing boundaries and creating lasting impact. The word “Station” is a nod to the city of Birmingham, Alabama, and its pivotal role in the growth of the railroad industry. Just as the city’s trains carried goods and ideas to new destinations, SR strives to propel groundbreaking technologies and transformative ideas into the world, catalyzing progress and enabling our partners to reach new heights of success.
Southern Research’s campus anchors an emerging biotechnology innovation district, surrounded by UAB’s campus to the north and west and connecting Ascension/St. Vincent’s Hospital to the East, to a new mixed-use development called Edgehill at Southtown. In this 40-block area, approximately 3.5 million patients are treated annually, and researchers conduct over $700M in sponsored biomedical research annually.
Disclaimers
- Please review our privacy policy before sharing confidential information.
- Please be comprehensive to allow us to understand your project and technology fully.
- Please also address the status of IP protection.
- Please also indicate all prior funding for your project and technology
Process
Upon receipt of your application, our Scientific and Commercialization teams will review and process your materials within 30 days or less of the application date. From there, the team will determine whether the applicant meets our desired criteria or if the application requires additional information. If selected, a formal onboarding process will be scheduled with the applicant.
About Southern Research
Southern Research, an affiliate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is a non-profit translational research institute that supports end-to-end preclinical development and commercialization programs. Our campus comprises more than 450,000 square feet of office and laboratory space, including biosafety level 1 (BSL-1), BSL 2, and BSL-3 in vivo and in vitro facilities that conform to all applicable regulatory guidelines and requirements.