Translational Seed Grants Program

Apply starting Monday, Aug. 3, for our new cohort.

The Flinn Foundation Translational Seed Grants Program funds research teams affiliated with an Arizona university, research institution, or health-care system that are advancing new products or services addressing significant clinical needs. 

Launched in 2013 to fund institutionally nominated research, the program has since grown into an open, competitive RFP, awarding up to $100,000 to as many as 10 research teams each year. 

The 2027 application marks the start of the Foundation’s five-year renewal. The revamped program features closer alignment with the Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program and a greater emphasis upon mentorship and learning through programmatic components. 

Each seed grants program awardee receives a $100,000 grant over 18 months, plus programmatic benefits. At the end of the grant period, the most successful projects may receive follow-on funding or direct admittance into the Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program. 

The application for the new cohort opens on Monday, Aug. 3.  

Important Dates

Aug. 3: Application opens
Aug. 10: Virtual Information Session
Aug. 18-20: Virtual 1:1 Office Hours
Aug. 26: Virtual Group Office Hours
Aug. 31-Sept. 4: Virtual 1:1 Office Hours
Sept. 11: Application deadline (5 p.m.)
December: Awardees notified

Advancing the biosciences in Arizona

The Translational Seed Grants Program was created to help reach the objectives of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap by funding research projects that focus on creating new products and services to benefit health. 
 
The Flinn Foundation in 2002 commissioned the Roadmap, the longest-running, statewide bioscience strategic plan in the nation. The Roadmap was most recently updated in September 2025 with five new goals to advance the biosciences. “Accelerate Research into Impact,” calls for Arizona to increase the scale, speed, and success of commercialization of discoveries and innovations. 

The most recent awardees—two from Arizona State University and one each from HonorHealth Research Institute, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Northern Arizona University, TGen North, and University of Arizona—were announced in April 2026.

Since 2013, the Flinn Foundation has awarded 90 seed grants totaling about $10.2 million. 

Contact

For more information about the program or application process, contact Joanna Yang Yowler, Ph.D., Flinn Foundation Program Manager, Translational Biosciences and Entrepreneurship. 

“This grant was integral for acquiring preliminary data for the project, and we’ve benefited so much from the amazing community of awardees and the Flinn team.”

Julianne Holloway, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Arizona State University in partnership with Mayo Clinic: “Designing biomimetic fibrous scaffolds with spatially controlled mineralization for augmenting rotator-cuff repair”