Innovation Funding Program
OVERVIEW
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.
Bonfire Funding aims to advance the mission of MaineHealth by providing an investment of up to $100,000 for an innovative solution. The goal of this investment is to support an advanced novel solution related to improving the lives of our care team and community members to a point where additional external or institutional funding opportunities can be explored from collaborators like Maine Technology Institute, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), the NIH DRIVEN Grant or from department or service line investments.
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.
See below for examples
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:
- Applications submitted
- Informational Interviews (Bonfire Funding only)
- 1st Round Review
- Live presentations at “Pitch Day”
- 2nd Round Review
- Final funding decisions are approved
Innovation Ignite Funding
Innovation Ignite Funding runs twice a year. Applications are due every Spring and Fall.
Spring 2026
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.
Applications for the 2026 Funding Cycle are now open. If you have questions about eligibility for the program or the application itself, please connect with us at innovation_center@mainehealth.org and we will assist.
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.
Bonfire Funding Project Examples
Check out some of the amazing work of MaineHealth Innovation Bonfire Funding Recipients
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PAST PROJECTS
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
IGNITE FUNDING
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
IGNITE FUNDING
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
Airbox
Rohith Malya, MD
Pediatric Well-Care Companion (funded by Wex)
Charlotte Helvie
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
IGNITE FUNDING
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
BONFIRE FUNDING
Robotic Clot Retriever
IGNITE FUNDING
Will Connolly, RN – ED Clinical Nurse, Maine Medical Center
Project: Rescue Vac
Sara Cox, CNRN – Neuroscience Patient Navigator, Maine Medical Center
Project: NewGown™
Jeffrey Halter, MD – Pediatric Surgeon, Maine Medical Center
Project: Gastrocutaneous Closure Device
Samir Haydar, DO, MPH – Emergency Physician, Maine Medical Center
Project: navigatER
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
Project: Play Portal
IGNITE FUNDING
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