The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is accepting FY27 applications for the Accelerating Research through Collaboration (ARC) Awards, a capital funding program for collaborative translational research conducted by a Massachusetts nonprofit research institution together with at least one Massachusetts life sciences company.
Deadline: November 6, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST, as published by MLSC. Funding: approximately $750,000 per award for projects generally completed over 2 to 3 years. Applications are submitted online through the MLSC Submittable portal.
Eligible applicant structure: the applicant must be a Massachusetts legally organized nonprofit research institution, including a research institution or academic medical center, with a qualified PI. Each project team must also include at least one life sciences company with a Massachusetts presence and registration to do business in Massachusetts. Organizations that are exclusively healthcare providers, and standard healthcare delivery equipment requests, are not eligible.
Program focus: ARC supports translational research with a clear pathway to commercialization and Massachusetts economic impact. Eligible work can advance therapies, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health tools, research platforms, datasets, algorithms, and other life sciences innovations. MLSC capital funds may support equipment, research supplies and reagents, hardware and software, datasets, and samples at the nonprofit applicant institution. Direct labor, overhead and indirect costs, monthly subscriptions or cloud fees, software development, legal expenses, travel, debt, board compensation, rent, utilities, and other operating costs are not eligible.
Company contribution requirement: the company partner must fund salary and fringe for at least one net new postdoctoral scientist for the project duration, at a minimum following the NIH pay scale plus fringe, and provide a commitment letter describing its cash, in kind, and other project contributions. Additional support may strengthen the application. This is a mandatory company funding commitment, so Atlas will not treat Dr. Miltie as a direct company partner unless the required Massachusetts presence, project role, postdoctoral funding commitment, and other qualifications are independently verified and approved.
The sample application requires extensive applicant and project information, including a sample job description for the new postdoctoral scientist, project and commercialization narratives, capital budget information, vendor quotations for requested capital equipment over $100,000, exactly three external academic letters of use, exactly three external company scientist letters of interest, and detailed nonprofit and company contribution information. If funded, the parties must later provide a sponsored research or similar collaboration agreement executed after November 6, 2026 and the first paystub of the newly hired postdoctoral researcher.
Atlas Opportunity Score: 94/100. N9+ Fit: 82/100, conditional. The program expressly supports medical devices, diagnostics and digital health tools and allows capital equipment, creating a legitimate potential research and commercialization pathway for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform where a qualified nonprofit research partner and Massachusetts life sciences company are pursuing a genuine translational research project. This is not a standard clinical deployment grant and Atlas should not force a device fit without a real research protocol, eligible project team and commercialization pathway.
Dr. Miltie direct applicant fit: 0/100 because the applicant must be an eligible Massachusetts nonprofit institution. A company partner role is potentially relevant only after verification of the required Massachusetts business presence, scientific role, cash support for a net new postdoctoral researcher, commitment letter, and other application obligations. Program contact: mlscindustryprograms@masslifesciences.com.