The Spark! Celebrating Innovation at MaineHealth
INNOVATION IGNITE FUND
The Innovation Ignite Fund runs twice a year. Applications are due every Spring and Fall.
Applications for Spring 2023 have closed.
INNOVATION BONFIRE FUND
Next fund cycle opening fall 2023.
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
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 FUND
Robotic Clot Retriever
IGNITE FUND
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 FUND
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