SPARK NS

What SPARK NS does

SPARK NS, Inc. is an independent California-incorporated nonprofit headquartered at 640 Oak Grove Avenue, Menlo Park. The organization runs a two-year Translational Research Program that selects academic principal investigators through an annual competitive Call for Proposals and provides them with milestone-based funding of up to $2,000,000 per project, including $50,000 per year discretionary funding for the PI. Selected projects span the translational gap from target identification through entry into clinical trials, with a therapeutic focus on Parkinson's disease, autism, and adjacent neurological conditions.

The core technology is a translational research methodology developed and refined since 2006 by founders Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD (Chief Science and Education Advisor) and Kevin Grimes, MD, MBA (Chief Clinical and Education Advisor). The model layers milestone-based funding on top of structured drug development education and hands-on mentorship from 90-100+ industry expert advisors averaging 15 years of experience. Supporting products include the SPARK NS Learning Center (an online educational platform with video lectures and case studies) and free Short Courses held annually in the US and Europe (e.g., Madrid, March 2026) that recruit and educate prospective applicants. The organization reports a 50% success rate at advancing academic discoveries toward the clinic, against a published industry benchmark of approximately 14%.

SPARK NS does not generate commercial revenue; the program is funded through philanthropic and grant-based sources and takes no IP or equity stake in funded projects. Distribution is direct via the annual application cycle, with no intermediaries. The eligible applicant pool spans principal investigators at academic and nonprofit research institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. The program is run by Executive Director Stephen Kargotich, PhD, MBA, LLB, and Managing Director of Translational R&D Opher Kornfeld, PhD, supported by a team of 11-50 employees. Strategic collaborations include the D-SPARK Phase 2b clinical trial with Haukeland University Hospital (D-Serine for Parkinson's disease) and ties to the £10 million UK DRI Parkinson's Research Centre.

Name

SPARK NS

Legal name

SPARK NS, Inc.

Website

https://sparkns.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SPARK NS is a California nonprofit that runs a two-year Translational Research Program providing academic principal investigators up to $2M in milestone-based funding, industry advisor mentorship, and drug development education to advance Parkinson's disease and autism therapeutics from lab to clinic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Grant funding disbursed to selected research projects (up to $2M per project), Personnel (program management, project managers, scientific leadership), Operations (educational program delivery, Learning Center, short courses), Marketing or Sales (events, conferences, website, content)

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Grant Funding: SPARK NS is an independent nonprofit organization that provides funding and support to academic researchers. The organization raises funds from various sources to sustain its translational research program and does not generate commercial revenue from product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SPARK NS runs a two-year Translational Research Program that selects academic principal investigators working on therapeutics for autism and Parkinson's disease through an annual Call for Proposals and supports them with up to $2,000,000 in milestone-based funding, education in drug development, mentorship from 90+ industry expert advisors, and a confidential collaborative cohort community. Complementary offerings include the SPARK NS Learning Center (online video lectures and case studies) and free short courses held in the US and Europe to recruit and educate potential applicants.

Product overview

SPARK NS offers a unified translational research program as its core product, designed to help academic researchers advance neuroscience discoveries toward clinical application. The main offering is the two-year SPARK NS Translational Research Program, which combines milestone-based funding (up to $2 million), mentorship from 100+ industry expert advisors, and in-person/online drug development education. Supporting offerings include the SPARK NS Learning Center (an online educational platform with video lectures and case studies), and Short Courses held annually in the US and Europe that introduce researchers to drug development concepts and the funding opportunity. All offerings focus on advancing treatments for autism and Parkinson's disease.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SPARK NS Translational Research Program A two-year program that selects academic principal investigators developing therapeutics for autism, Parkinson's disease, or adjacent conditions through an annual Call for Proposals. Each selected project receives up to $2,000,000 in milestone-based funding over two years, advice from 90+ (described as 100+) industry expert advisors, in-person and online drug development education, participation in a confidential collaborative cohort community, and post-program support to advance discoveries from the lab to the clinic.
• SPARK NS Learning Center An online educational platform providing original content, video lectures, and case studies from drug development experts to give academic researchers background on the translational research and drug development process.
• SPARK NS Short Course (US) A free in-person short course for principal investigators in the US and Canada interested in developing therapeutics for autism or Parkinson's disease, covering unmet clinical need perspectives, drug development strategies, and the SPARK NS funding opportunity.
• SPARK NS Short Course (Europe) A free in-person short course for principal investigators in Europe and the UK interested in developing therapeutics for autism or Parkinson's disease, covering drug development concepts and the SPARK NS funding opportunity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% success rate at advancing academic discoveries from lab to clinic
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Haukeland University HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPARK NS and Haukeland University Hospital have partnered on the D-SPARK clinical trial, a Phase 2b study evaluating whether the repurposed nutraceutical D-Serine can improve symptoms or delay progression of Parkinson's disease. This represents a significant advancement of an academic discovery toward clinical application.
• UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPARK NS participant Dr. Miratul Muqit was appointed inaugural director of the new UK DRI Parkinson's Research Centre, formed in partnership with Parkinson's UK. The £10 million Centre aims to identify approaches for Parkinson's prediction, prevention, and treatment development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Fast Grants: Fast Grants is an emergency science funding initiative that provides rapid, no-strings-attached grants to academic researchers. While not disease-specific or neuroscience-focused, it represents a comparable non-dilutive, milestone-light approach to academic research support and competes for the attention of translational researchers.
• Breakout Labs (Thiel Foundation): Breakout Labs is a Thiel Foundation program that provides non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and resources to early-stage science and biotech companies working on breakthrough research. It overlaps with SPARK NS as a non-traditional funder bridging academic discovery toward commercialization, though it funds companies rather than academic PIs.

Direct peers

• Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research: The Michael J. Fox Foundation is the largest dedicated Parkinson's disease research funder, providing grants and translational support to academic and industry researchers worldwide. It overlaps with SPARK NS on Parkinson's target identification, translational research, and clinical pipeline development.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Lab: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation operates a translational and drug development arm that funds academic and industry researchers with milestone-driven support, and has historically captured downstream financial returns from successful therapies. It is a model nonprofit translational funder that competes for academic talent and showcases an alternative IP/royalty monetization approach.
• Cure Parkinson's: Cure Parkinson's is a UK-based charity that funds laboratory and clinical research aimed at disease modification in Parkinson's, with a portfolio of academic and clinical projects. It is a directly comparable translational research funder in the Parkinson's disease space, especially for the UK and European PIs in SPARK NS's network.
• Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF): ADDF provides milestone-driven translational research funding to academic and biotech investigators developing therapeutics for Alzheimer's and related dementias. It is directly comparable as a disease-focused, philanthropic, translational research funder with structured advisory and milestone support.
• Autism Science Foundation: The Autism Science Foundation funds autism research with a strong translational and evidence-based orientation, supporting academic investigators across basic and clinical autism research. It overlaps with SPARK NS's autism therapeutic translational stream and competes for academic PIs in the autism space.
• SPARK (Stanford / SPARK Global): SPARK at Stanford is the originating translational research program from which SPARK NS evolved, founded by Daria Mochly-Rosen and Kevin Grimes. It uses the same milestone-based funding, industry advisor, and educational model to advance academic discoveries, making it the most directly comparable organization in mission, structure, and methodology.
• Harrington Discovery Institute: Harrington Discovery Institute provides milestone-driven grant funding, drug development expertise, and advisor support to academic physician-scientists to advance discoveries into the clinic. It mirrors SPARK NS's combination of non-dilutive capital, industry mentorship, and academic-to-industry translational focus across multiple disease areas.
• Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP): ASAP is a coordinated research funding program focused specifically on Parkinson's disease that supports multi-institution, milestone-driven translational projects with substantial philanthropic capital. It competes directly with SPARK NS for Parkinson's-focused academic PIs and translational pipeline visibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sparkns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SPARK NS