Evaluation Core

PROJECT SUMMARY EVALUATION CORE NeuroTech Harbor’s (NTH) Evaluation Core (EC) is a critical element of the NTH. The EC will be responsible for providing thorough, timely evaluations of a large number of innovator proposals and identify those few that have a high potential for clinical impact and commercial viability. In addition, the EC will identify gaps in proposals that help innovators improve, as well as guide future steps on reapplying to NTH or other BP Hubs. The EC must not only ensure that the need addressed in a proposal is significant, but also that a feasible plan is viable and laid out to achieve deliverables, including resources required. Since NTH will receive a broad range of applications, the EC will recruit top experts to adequately evaluate proposals. Lastly the EC will assess and provide guidance in ways innovators can increase the potential for commercial success globally by expanding their impact to all communities. To help manage this complex task, the NTH EC will leverage the Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology’s (CIMIT's) Guidance and Impact Tracking (GAITS) web-based platform to (i) help innovators prepare competitive proposals, and (ii) provide a methodology for all EC panels, especially the Deep- Dive panel, to assess subproject proposals with consistent criteria. The EC will provide applicants and panel members with basic training on how to use the GAITS platform. To recruit clinical and technical specialists covering topics of all submitted proposals to serve on our evaluation panels, the EC will work with NTH’s Consultant Network, and leverage The LaunchPort, a MedTech manufacturing accelerator, with an extensive network of subject matter experts. The EC aims are: (Aim 1) To implement a rigorous, unbiased, and efficient evaluation process that identifies neuromedical solutions with high potential for commercial success and clinical benefit. (Aim 2) To deploy a proposal management platform to facilitate evaluation of subproject and subaward proposals as well as preparation of proposals. (Aim 3) To facilitate building a pipeline of aspiring innovators addressing a broad range of neurological conditions. The evaluation process is inspired by the RADx model and the NIH peer review system and will include industry experts who will appraise the feasibility of the total lifecycle of proposed solutions. Evaluation will occur in three stages: Triage, Viability, and Deep Dive. Short preproposals will be evaluated during Triage, and full proposals will be evaluated during Viability and Deep Dive. Full proposals will be assessed using GAITS criteria. The Deep Dive stage will involve intensive interaction and multiple feedback cycles with proposers and reviewer. To facilitate evaluation and management of subproject and subaward proposals, NeuroTech Harbor, in partnership with VentureWell (VW), will provide an online portal for applicants to submit their applications and for reviewers from the EC, Steering Committee, and NIH personnel to review and comment on proposals.