Principal Investigator Sangeeta Bhatia
Co-investigators Susan Hockfield , Nancy Hopkins
Project Website https://facultyfounder.mit.edu/
Project Start Date March 2026
The MIT-Royalty Pharma Faculty Founder Initiative was born out of research by Sangeeta Bhatia (7-time cofounder), Susan Hockfield (President Emerita), and Nancy Hopkins, which revealed significant variability in faculty biotech founder rates across MIT.
From this study, it was found that there could have been an additional forty biotech firms today in Cambridge, MA alone. Just imagine how many more life science companies and medicines could exist if we multiply this by every major innovation ecosystem in the world!
The aim is to increase the number of faculty members at MIT who start biotechnology companies through the MIT-Royalty Pharma Faculty Founder Prize Competition. We believe this is important to bring high-impact technologies to the world that are not currently being commercialized.
Over the course of two years, participants receive wide-ranging support to help advance and grow their biotech solutions into startups and companies ready for commercialization. This includes various workshops, executive education classes, and mentorship from world-leading entrepreneurs and investors. The program culminates in MIT-Royalty Pharma Prize Competition Showcase, with the next iteration scheduled for 2027.