Innovation Funding Program - Ignite Funding

Innovation Funding Program - Ignite Funding is a grant from the MaineHealth Innovation Center that funds internal innovation projects by MaineHealth faculty, staff, and students. The program fosters and accelerates innovations in care team models, novel processes or services, and new products addressing unmet care needs within the MaineHealth system. Awards are up to $20,000 per project.

Eligible applicants are MaineHealth colleagues only; this is an internal grant program not open to outside organizations.

Innovation Funding Program - MaineHealth | Innovation Center Innovation Funding Program Innovation Funding Program lburningha@mainehealth. org 2026-03-18T14:27:19-04:00 Innovation Funding Program The MaineHealth Innovation Center has established the MaineHealth Innovation Funding Program as an internal funding mechanism to foster and accelerate innovation within MaineHealth.

Innovations are defined as new care team models, novel processes or services, or new products to address unmet care needs. The Innovation Funding Program will advance the MaineHealth vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America by empowering all of our colleagues to continually seek novel solutions to the real problems that our patients and communities face.

Two funding levels are available: Ignite Funding provides seed capital to help advance innovations. This investment of up to $20,000 can help innovators understand user pain points, build a prototype or test an assumption. Several $20,000 investments will be made this funding cycle.

The Innovation Funding Program is an essential component of the Innovation Center’s comprehensive approach to research, innovation, education, clinical development, and commercialization.

The entrepreneurial activity of MaineHealth faculty, staff, and students will be significantly enhanced through a dedicated source of funding intended to bridge the gap between grant-funded basic research, emerging clinical ideas, and commercialization of technologies.

General Innovation Funding Review Process The MaineHealth Innovation Funding Program applications are evaluated by a multi-disciplinary group of reviewers from across the MaineHealth system and its strategic partners.

The general process for the Innovation Fund review cycle is: Informational Interviews (Bonfire Funding only) Live presentations at “Pitch Day” Final funding decisions are approved Innovation Ignite Funding Innovation Ignite Funding runs twice a year. Applications are due every Spring and Fall.

Applications are due: March 13 at 5:00pm You may also apply using the MaineHealth Innovation Ignite Funding Application Word Document and emailing the completed application to innovation_center@mainehealth. org. Innovation Bonfire Funding Innovation Bonfire Funding runs once a year.

You may also apply using the MaineHealth Innovation Bonfire Funding Application word document and emailing the completed application to innovation_center@mainehealth. org.

Download the Innovation Bonfire Funding Application Overview Fall 2025 Ignite Funding Recipients HeartTrack Heart Failure Scale Innovator(s): Trent Garcia, RN Educating with VISION–Virtual Immersive Simulated In-Situ Object-Based Naming Innovator(s): Marissa Perry, RN, BSN, CCRN, CHSE; Erin Siebers, MS, CHSE; Joe Campbell; Leah Mallory, MD; Jesse Rideout, MD Effects of Super Fibroblast Grown Factor (FGF) on Systemic Metabolism Innovator(s): Matthew Lynes, PhD; Igor Prudovsky, PhD, DSc -Project Name: BioForm; Innovator(s): Joe Campbell Ignite Funding Project Examples Check out some of the amazing work of MaineHealth Innovation Ignite Funding Recipients.

Click here to learn more about Brian Nolan, MD and diabetic retinopathy screening using AI Click here to learn more about Michael Ferguson, MD and augmented reality neonatal resuscitation simulation Click here to learn more about Sara Cox, CNRN and the NewGown™ Bonfire Funding Project Examples Check out some of the amazing work of MaineHealth Innovation Bonfire Funding Recipients Click here to read about Liz Hamilton, MD, and Katie Main, MD, and the CAPE in News Center Maine Click to here to learn about Rob Ecker, MD, MBA and the robotic clot retriever Can the Innovation Funding Program be used for people/FTE resources?

You are not able to reimburse a MaineHealth care team member for their time spent on the project to supplement their home department. Fund can be used to pay for outside consulting services. What if an applying member/department does not have the appropriate contacts to further their idea?

That is why the Innovation team is here! We will work with you and your team to source content area experts and leverage our networks and the networks of our MaineHealth colleagues in order to get the right people in the right room to brainstorm around your idea. Is an appropriate outcome of this project a Proof of Concept?

It would be ideal to see Innovation Fund projects moving along a commercial pathway, meaning your idea or device can be scaled up to be shared with the MaineHealth system or beyond. However, $20,000 may not be enough to propel projects to commercialization.

The intent is for the Ignite Fund process to help innovators prepare to apply for additional external funding from partners like Maine Angels or Maine Center for Entrepreneurship, if that is desired. Projects may also explore securing a patent for any devices being developed, and the MaineHealth Innovation team can assist with that process, as well. At the end of the funding period, who will provide support to continue these projects?

The Innovation team is happy to continue to support some projects as they mature and expand to be used in other areas. This support may look like connections to industry partners, assistance with additional external grant applications or facilitation of a deep dive brainstorming session or customer discovery study. The team will also leverage the connections around the MaineHealth system to remove barriers to your projects success.

Is conference attendance covered by the Innovation Fund? Yes, generally. Customer discovery is an important part of determining the need and value of the proposed projects.

There are often trainings and conferences, both locally and nationally, that will provide an opportunity to learn about entrepreneurial and market trends, and to directly interact with customers or other industry experts. Any conference costs should be included in the project budget submitted with the application. Does the Innovation team help projects operationalize the ideas or devices?

All applicants are encouraged to submit their projects for consideration, even if they are unsure of how to operationalize or commercialize this idea. We encourage recipients to work with us to appropriately source additional system-wide and community resources to help bring your ideas to life as needed. How will funds be distributed to selected recipients?

Funds will be distributed to recipients by the MaineHealth employee reimbursement process or by direct payments to vendors, depending on the needs of your project. Ignite Fund recipients may be expected to pay for any costs associated with their project up front, and then submit receipts for reimbursement to the Innovation staff on the 15th of each month in order for reimbursement checks to be mailed within 2-3 weeks of submission date.

Alternatively, project invoices sent to the Ignite Fund recipient should also be forwarded to the MaineHealth Innovation team so the invoice can be paid directly from the distributed Ignite funds. If there are any questions or concerns about this process, the Innovation team will work with the project team on an individual basis to determine an appropriate alternative plan, if needed.

Spring 2025 Ignite Funding Virtual Patient Service Representative Kiosk Innovator(s): Robert Trim, MBA, RN; Penny Labbe Improving Identification of Hereditary Cancer Risk Among Patients Undergoing Tumor Genomic Testing Innovator(s): Sue Miesfeldt, MD; Stephanie Sharp, CGC; Emma Van Hook, CGC; Jenna Albrecht, MPH, MS; James Reich, Douglas Van Pelt, PhD Beyond Use Date Medication Stability Testing Jonathan Angus, PharmD, BCOP, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Victoria Jacobus, RPh, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Richard Bowman, PharmD, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Lindsey Parmelee, PharmD, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Nathan Brough, MHMMC Sequential Breast Biopsy Markers Zachary Zaniewski, DO, Resident MHMMC; Elizabeth Pietras, MD, Spectrum Healthcare; Christina Cinelli, MD, Spectrum Healthcare SPOT-X: Medicated Adhesive Stickers for Spot Treatments Shinya Amano, MD, PhD, AAD, MaineHealth Dermatology Beyond Use Date Medication Stability Testing Jonathan Angus, PharmD, BCOP, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Victoria Jacobus, RPh, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Richard Bowman, PharmD, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Lindsey Parmelee, PharmD, MaineHealth Pharmacy; Nathan Brough, MHMMC Contingency Management and Behavioral Health treatment Strategies for the Treatment of Psychostimulant Use Disorders, Christine Wyman, Leah Bauer, MD, PhD, Maggie Janssen, RN, MPH, Sara Parnell Pediatric Well-Care Companion (funded by Wex) FRST Violence Prevention (funded by Robert and Nancy King Donor, Maine Behavioral Health) Chris Racine – The FRST Tool: Assessing Risk of Violent Behavior in ED Patients – MaineHealth | Innovation Center Compliant Temperature Stable Balloon for Use in Percutaneous Ablation Procedures Jeremy Lott, Resident MMC Using Natural Language Processing to Detect Bias in ER Clinical Notes Isha Agarwal MD – Emergency Medicine, MMC Peter Brooks, PhD – Faculty Scientist III, MaineHealth Institute for Research Project: Development of a mAb targeting the tumor matrix (CMX102) as a ‘first-in-class’ agent for immunotherapy and drug delivery Jim Byrne, PT, DPT – Physical Therapist, MidCoast Hospital/CHANS Home Health & Hospice Project: Home Health Standing Portable Workstation Obieze Nwanna-Nzewunwa, MD, MS – Surgery Resident, Maine Medical Center Project: Lediscan: detecting and treating cervical cancer, before it occurs Collapsible Aerosolized Particle Enclosure (CAPE) David Eagleson – CEO, Baker Co.

Paul Fitzpatrick – Medical Device Entrepreneur Samir Haydar, DO, MPH – Emergency Physician, Maine Medical Center Elizabeth Hamilton, MD – Former Emergency Resident, Maine Medical Center Kaitlyn Main, MD – Former Emergency Resident, Maine Medical Center Paul Tyson – Principal, Thermoformed Plastics of New England Robert Ecker, MD, MBA Neurosurgeon & Chief of Neuroscience, MaineHealth Mohsen Shahinpoor, PhD – Mechanical Engineering Professor, University of Maine Jeffrey Florman, MD – Neurosurgeon, MaineHealth Will Connolly, RN – ED Clinical Nurse, Maine Medical Center Sara Cox, CNRN – Neuroscience Patient Navigator, Maine Medical Center Jeffrey Halter, MD – Pediatric Surgeon, Maine Medical Center Project: Gastrocutaneous Closure Device Samir Haydar, DO, MPH – Emergency Physician, Maine Medical Center Jeremy Lott, MD – Interventional Radiology Resident, Maine Medical Center Project: Hydraulic Manifold for the Distribution of Contrast, Saline and Other Medias Sunil Malhotra, MD – Medical Director & Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Maine Medical Center Project: Pulsatile Graft for Congenital Heart Disease Patients Elizabeth Hamilton, MD – Former Emergency Medicine Resident, Maine Medical Center Kaitlyn Main, MD – Former Emergency Medicine Resident, Maine Medical Center Samir Haydar, DO – Emergency Physician, Maine Medical Center Project: Collapsible Aerosolized Particle Enclosure (CAPE) Theresa Roelke, APRN-AGPCNP – Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Maine Medical Center Project: Pocket Nodule-Lung Bethany Sweet, CCLS, MS – Child Life Specialist, The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Rob Ecker, MD, MBA – Neurosurgeon, Maine Medical Partners Jeffrey Florman, MD – Neurologist, Maine Medical Partners Mohsen Shahinpoor, PhD – Mechanical Engineer, University of Maine Project: Neurological Robotic Clot Retriever Deb Flint – Respiratory Therapist, Waldo County General Hospital Project: Cloth Headband for O2 Kerri Barton, MPH – Former Rural Research Navigator, MaineHealth Institute for Research Brian Nolan, MD – Physician, Western Maine Health Shane Kirkegaard, MD – Former Internal Medicine Resident, Western Maine Health & Maine Medical Center Project: Rural Diabetic Retinopathy Screening with Artificial Intelligence Mary Ottolini, MD, MEd, MPH – George W.

Hallett Chair of Pediatrics, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Michael Ferguson, MD – Pediatric Intensivist, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Project: Neonatal Resuscitation Training Simulation with Augmented Reality Suzanne Wendelken, MD – Former Anesthesiology Resident, Maine Medical Center Project: Scorpion Bag Mask Ventilation Device Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.

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