Tammi Thomas

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding launches a partnership between TEDCO's Maryland Innovation Initiative and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.

Feb. 8 was a historic day for Maryland entrepreneurs looking to make a difference in the medical field. It marked an official start to a partnership between TEDCO’s Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF). Through the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the two organizations will now be able to leverage each other’s strengths to create a more advanced innovation ecosystem in Maryland.

The event began at the HJF conference facility in Bethesda with a brief presentation explaining the purpose of the MOU and how both organizations would contribute to advancing medical innovations.

Audience members listened to speakers during the Feb. 8 event in Bethesda, Maryland.

During this presentation, individuals heard from:

  • MII executive director Arti Santhanam, Ph.D.
  • HJF’s vice president of research administration and innovation management La Shaun Berrien, Ph.D.
  • LaunchPort’s managing partner Bob Storey.
  • UMD I-Corps’ mid-Atlantic I-Corps hub director and Maryland innovation extension director Dan Kunitz.
  • HJF president Joseph Caravalho Jr., M.D., M.G., U.S. Army, retired.
  • TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall.
  • HJF’s director of technology transfer research administration and innovation management Linda Yaswen-Corkery, Ph.D.

Eleven exhibitors supported by the two partner organizations participated in the event.

After the presentation and signing, attendees were invited to learn more about the organizations HJF and MII supported, their journey and where they plan to go next. There were 11 exhibitors from HJF and MII:

  • Astek Diagnostics.
  • NextStep Robotics.
  • BLOCKsynop.
  • Galen Robotics.
  • Early Charm Ventures.
  • TEDCO’s MII.
  • Austere environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO).
  • Surgical Critical Care Initiative (SC2i).
  • Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch (EIDB).
  • MDC Studios.
  • Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR).

“Fertile ground for innovation”

“MII is excited to work with HJF to create new innovations that can help advance medical solutions to serve our military sector as well as the public,” said Santhanam. “The presence of both world-class research institutions as well as federal labs in the region make Maryland a fertile ground for innovation. With the signing of this MOU, we are making a commitment to leverage all that our region offers to accelerate technology commercialization and bring affordable equitable health care solutions to our citizens.”

HJF and MII were established with the advancement of innovation in mind. HJF was authorized by Congress to focus on advancing military medical innovation, while MII was established to focus on transforming and fast tracking the transitional path for innovations from qualified academic research labs to the commercial market through investments in entrepreneurship and venture creation. Working together, the two organizations will provide an innovation ecosystem in Maryland where private sector, educational sector and military sector research facilities can be intertwined, supporting each other throughout the research-to-market process.

“With this MOU in place between HJF and TEDCO’s MII, we anticipate new ways to promote innovation within military medicine, potentially shortening the time to market for products that help both service members and civilians. The HJF TEDCO MII Pop-Up event garnered excitement from attendees across the region. We will build on that energy as we engage and explore next steps in expanding connections between the DoD medical research community and our local innovation ecosystem,” said Berrien.

TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at tedcomd.com.

Tammi Thomas is chief development and marketing officer at TEDCO.

Source: Washington Business Journal