Seven Arizona research projects earn $100K grants
Each year, the Flinn Foundation funds up to 10 research teams affiliated with an Arizona university, research institution, or health-care system that are advancing new products or services addressing significant clinical needs.
The Flinn Foundation Translational Seed Grants Program awardees each receive a $100,000 grant over 18 months, plus programmatic benefits. At the end of the grant period, the most successful projects may receive up to an additional $100,000 over the following year.
Each supported team will use the 18-month grant period to de-risk its product/process, refine its design, and/or acquire key validation data and stakeholder feedback—and secure, or have a well-defined plan to secure new sources of funding to advance toward positive patient impact.
Background
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 human 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, 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.
- Learn about requirements, eligibility, benefits, and more
- Learn about current and past participants
“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”
