MIT and Mass General Brigham launch joint seed program to accelerate innovations in health
Cambridge, MA – In a significant leap forward for healthcare innovation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Mass General Brigham (MGB) have officially launched the MIT-MGB Seed Program. This groundbreaking initiative, backed by a generous gift from Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), is set to fund collaborative research projects aimed at developing next-generation therapies, diagnostics, and digital tools to revolutionize human health on a global scale.
The program harnesses the collective strengths of two world-class research powerhouses, fostering interdisciplinary teams comprising researchers from MIT and clinicians from Mass General Brigham. The synergy is expected to accelerate solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in human health, bringing together cutting-edge expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced measurement and sensing technologies with pioneering clinical research and direct patient care.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth underscored the program’s transformative potential: “The power of this program is that it combines MIT’s strength in science, engineering, and innovation with Mass General Brigham’s world-class scientific and clinical research. With the support and incentive to work together, researchers and clinicians will have the freedom to tackle compelling problems and find novel ways to overcome them to achieve transformative changes in patient care.”
Echoing this sentiment, Anne Klibanski, President and CEO of Mass General Brigham, stated, “The MIT-MGB Seed Program will enable cross-disciplinary collaboration to advance transformative research and breakthrough science. By combining the collective strengths and expertise of our great institutions, we can transform medical care and drive innovation and discovery with speed.”
The ADI Fund for Health and Life Sciences will provide support for approximately six joint projects annually over the next three years, with funding strategically split between the two institutions. Vincent Roche, CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors at ADI, emphasized the converging fields: “The converging domains of biology, medicine, and computing promise a new era of health-care efficacy, efficiency, and access. ADI has enjoyed a long and fruitful history of collaboration with MIT and Mass General Brigham, and we are excited by this new initiative’s potential to transform the future of patient care.”
Beyond financial backing, selected teams will gain access to invaluable entrepreneurial workshops, including sessions hosted by The Engine, an MIT-built venture firm dedicated to “tough tech.” These workshops are designed to connect researchers with seasoned company founders, investors, and industry leaders, providing a clear pathway from laboratory breakthroughs to tangible, real-world impact.
The program will soon issue an open call for proposals to researchers across both institutions, with the inaugural cohort of funded projects anticipated to launch in Fall 2025. A joint review committee comprising experts from both MIT and Mass General Brigham will meticulously select the awardees.
Alex K. Shalek, MIT’s faculty lead for the program and Director of the Institute for Medical Engineering & Science (IMES), highlighted the program’s role in bridging critical innovation gaps. “Clinicians often see where current interventions fall short, but may lack the scientific tools or engineering expertise needed to develop new ones. Conversely, MIT researchers may not fully grasp these clinical challenges or have access to the right patient data and samples,” explained Shalek. “By supporting bilateral collaborations and building a community across disciplines, this program is poised to drive critical advances in diagnostics, therapeutics, and AI-driven health applications.”
Emery Brown, a practicing anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General Brigham’s faculty lead, elaborated on the mutual benefits: “The MIT-MGB Seed Program creates a perfect storm. The program will provide an opportunity for MIT faculty to bring novel science and engineering to attack and solve important clinical problems. The pursuit of solutions to important and challenging clinical problems by Mass General Brigham physicians and scientists will no doubt spur MIT scientists and engineers to develop new technologies, or find novel applications of existing technologies.”
This seed program stands as a flagship initiative within the MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative (MIT HEALS), reinforcing MIT HEALS’ core mission to position MIT as a central hub for health and life sciences innovation and translation within the Boston area’s rich ecosystem. Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer, Dean of Engineering, and head of MIT HEALS, reaffirmed, “It creates a critical bridge between clinical practice and technological innovation — two areas that must be deeply connected to advance real-world solutions.”
The program’s official launch was commemorated at a special event held at MIT’s Samberg Conference Center on March 31.
