Mid-South REACH
Mid-South REACH is an NIH-funded Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub led by Vanderbilt University that provides milestone-based product development grants (up to $200,000 per technology) and commercialization mentorship to biomedical innovators across Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mid-South REACH does
Mid-South REACH (Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub) is an NIH-funded grant program, not a conventional commercial enterprise. Established in September 2023 under NIH Grant 1U01GM152538, the program received $4 million from the National Institutes of Health supplemented by over $8 million in matching funds from partner universities and economic entities, totaling $12 million across a four-year horizon (2023–2027). It is led by Vanderbilt University, with University of Louisville (Kentucky), Jackson State University (Mississippi), and George Mason University (Virginia) serving as lead partner institutions. Each state has a designated state lead (Multiple Principal Investigator) and a program manager.
The program's core offering is product development grants for biomedical and health-related innovations originating from eligible universities and community colleges across the four states. Awards follow a milestone-based structure: up to $50,000 in direct costs per six-month cycle, with funding renewable up to four times and capped at $200,000 per technology. The program is currently running Cycle 5 of pre-applications and plans to award at least 10 grants per cycle across the four states, with up to 20 awards planned in Cycle 1. Approximately $2 million is distributed annually.
The go-to-market and application model is community-led and relationship-driven. State-specific project managers provide pre-application support, draft reviews, and assist non-faculty applicants in identifying faculty sponsors. Applications are submitted through an online REDCap-based NIH Pre-Application Portal and reviewed through a three-stage process involving Internal Advisory Committees, an External Review Board, and a NIH Technology Guidance Committee. Awardees also receive commercialization education and mentorship through a collaboration with Mid-South I-Corps, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center applicants must receive prior approval from the Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation.
Mid-South REACH firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mid-South REACH
- Legal name
- Mid-South REACH (Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub)
- Website
- https://midsouthreach.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Mid-South REACH is an NIH-funded Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub led by Vanderbilt University that provides milestone-based product development grants (up to $200,000 per technology) and commercialization mentorship to biomedical innovators across Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mid-South REACH industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biomedical Research Commercialization Grants
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Workforce Development & Training Grants (Public Health) (HLAJALAM), Land-Grant–Like/Extension-Oriented Private Research Universities (Applied Outreach) (EDAHABAK)
Keywords
Where Mid-South REACH is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Mid-South REACH business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- NIH Grant Funding: Mid-South REACH receives NIH funding (National Institutes of Health grant 1U01GM152538) as a Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub. The program distributes this funding as product development grants to eligible applicants across four states.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Cycle 1 award: up to $50,000 for 6 months |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Mid-South REACH product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mid-South REACH (Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub) is a four-year, $12 million NIH-funded program (Grant 1U01GM152538) led by Vanderbilt University that operates across Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. It provides milestone-based product development grants (up to $200,000 per technology), commercialization education and mentorship, and structured application review to accelerate the real-world impact of biomedical and health-related innovations developed by academic researchers and entrepreneurs.
Product overview
Mid-South REACH is a four-year, $12 million NIH-funded initiative led by Vanderbilt University that operates as a Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub spanning Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. The program provides a unified grant program consisting of Product Development Grants (up to $200,000 per technology in milestone-based tranches), REACH Training & Resources for commercialization education and mentorship, an NIH Pre-Application Portal for submission management, and structured Application Review Processes involving IAC, ERB, and TGC evaluation stages. Partner institutions include Vanderbilt University, University of Louisville, Jackson State University, and George Mason University.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mid-South REACH Program
- Product Development Grants
- REACH Training & Resources
- NIH Pre-Application Portal
- Application Review Process
Quantifiable outcome
- At least 10 grants awarded per cycle across four states
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Mid-South REACH
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mid-South REACH technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mid-South REACH partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Vanderbilt UniversitycoreLead institution coordinating the Mid-South REACH program. Vanderbilt brings extensive expertise in entrepreneurial education and biomedical innovation. Home to the program's leadership team including Lead/Contact PI Robert J. Webster, PhD.
- University of LouisvillecoreLead partner institution for Kentucky. Brings experience from the KYNETIC program and provides state-specific project management and mentorship for Kentucky applicants.
- Jackson State UniversitycoreLead partner institution for Mississippi. Provides state-specific project management and commercialization expertise for Mississippi applicants.
- George Mason UniversitycoreLead partner institution for Virginia. Provides state-specific project management and innovation expertise for Virginia applicants.
- Mid-South I-CorpsmajorCollaborates with Mid-South I-Corps to provide commercialization-related education and training for awardees, including coaching and strategic feedback from field experts.
- Brock Family Center for Applied InnovationmajorRequired approval partner for Vanderbilt University Medical Center applicants. Limited submission opportunity requiring prior approval for applications in addiction and/or mental health space.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mid-South REACH competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VentureWell: Nonprofit that funds and trains academic innovators to bring early-stage technologies to market, including biomedical and life-science ventures. Overlaps with Mid-South REACH on training, milestone-based funding, and academic-to-market pipeline support.
- KYNETIC Program (University of Louisville): Predecessor NIH-funded biomedical commercialization hub based at the University of Louisville, explicitly cited as a model for Mid-South REACH. Operates the same grant-and-mentorship model for Kentucky academic innovators, making it the closest functional peer.
- ExCITE Program: Predecessor NIH REACH-style program referenced in Mid-South REACH's design history; provides product-development grants and commercialization training to academic innovators, with overlapping methodology and target audience.
- NIH I-Corps at NCATS: Federal program providing commercialization training and mentorship for NIH-funded life-science innovators. Mid-South REACH partners with a regional I-Corps node and is structurally aligned with this national training-and-mentorship model.
- UCSF Innovation Ventures: University of California's biomedical commercialization and technology-transfer arm, offering translational funding programs and mentorship for faculty entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a research-university hub serving biomedical innovators.
- NSF I-Corps: National Science Foundation's flagship academic commercialization training program. Operates a parallel curriculum and cohort-based model that Mid-South REACH's training component draws on, serving the same academic-entrepreneur segment.
- FastForward (Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures): Johns Hopkins University's accelerator/incubator for biomedical and life-science ventures; provides milestone funding, mentorship, and commercialization infrastructure parallel to what Mid-South REACH offers in its four-state region.
Regional players
- StartX (Stanford): Stanford-affiliated accelerator supporting faculty and student ventures, including biomedical startups. Comparable as a university-anchored biomedical commercialization program, but operating in a different geography (Silicon Valley) than Mid-South REACH.
Broad incumbents
- SBIR/STTR Programs (NIH): NIH's federal small-business R&D funding programs targeting the same translational/biomedical innovation space. Operates at much larger scale as a national incumbent and provides the next-stage funding that Mid-South REACH awardees typically pursue.
- CTSA Program (NCATS): NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Awards program supports translational research across a national consortium of academic medical centers. While broader in scope, it shares NIH funding, milestone-based translational support, and a similar grantee-development mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mid-South REACH social profiles
Digital presenceMid-South REACH financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mid-South REACH leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Mid-South REACH funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Mid-South REACH M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mid-South REACH
What does Mid-South REACH do?
Mid-South REACH (Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub) is a four-year, $12 million NIH-funded program (Grant 1U01GM152538) led by Vanderbilt University that operates across Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. It provides milestone-based product development grants (up to $200,000 per technology), commercialization education and mentorship, and structured application review to accelerate the real-world impact of biomedical and health-related innovations developed by academic researchers and entrepreneurs.
Is Mid-South REACH a public or private company?
Mid-South REACH is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Mid-South REACH founded?
Mid-South REACH was founded in 2023. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Mid-South REACH based?
Mid-South REACH is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mid-South REACH make money?
One revenue line is on record: NIH Grant Funding.
Who are Mid-South REACH's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VentureWell, KYNETIC Program (University of Louisville), ExCITE Program, NIH I-Corps at NCATS, UCSF Innovation Ventures, NSF I-Corps and FastForward (Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures). StartX (Stanford) is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are SBIR/STTR Programs (NIH) and CTSA Program (NCATS).
Does Mid-South REACH have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mid-South REACH.
What industry is Mid-South REACH in?
Mid-South REACH's product category is Biomedical Research Commercialization Grants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAL, Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAI, Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8731.