One-year grant will support activities designed to close the gap between breakthrough innovation and patient impact
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Science Center, a premier catalyst of entrepreneurial activity, healthcare innovation, and economic growth, announced today that it has been awarded a $300,000 grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. The one-year grant will support activities aligned with the Science Center Translation Project™ designed to close the gap between breakthrough innovation and patient impact.
"Genentech's support is more than a vote of confidence in the Science Center's Translation Project—it's a powerful endorsement of Philadelphia's potential as a hub for innovation and impact," said Science Center President & CEO Tiffany Wilson. "We're deeply grateful for this partnership and for Genentech's commitment to advancing ideas that improve lives."
"Genentech is proud to support the Science Center's work to unite stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem, creating scalable models and strategic frameworks to accelerate patient-centered innovation in Philadelphia and beyond," said Joy Russell, vice president, U.S. external affairs at Genentech. "This initiative is a critical step toward building a pipeline that is equipped to get medical breakthroughs to patients with the urgency they deserve."
The Genentech grant will support two distinct activities to position Philadelphia as a national leader in healthcare innovation:
- The creation of the Healthcare Innovation Translation Council will unite C-suite leaders representing health systems, investors, industry, payors, clinicians, and patient advocates. The Council will validate regional priorities, connect collaborators, and generate public knowledge on what accelerates or blocks adoption.
- The Translational Healthcare Innovation Paper Initiative will produce an academic paper focused on commercialization models, ecosystem dynamics, and policy/market mechanisms that speed the path from idea to patient impact.
The Translation Project is the Science Center's operating system for healthcare innovation: aligning capital, evidence, and partnerships to bridge high-potential life sciences and healthcare technology companies from innovation to impact. Through a suite of programs and resources, the Science Center has supported hundreds of emerging life sciences and healthcare companies from around the globe to de-risk innovation and cross the chasm to adoption.
"This investment reflects our belief that strong entrepreneurial infrastructure is essential to driving meaningful patient impact," says Science Center Senior Vice President, Ecosystem Engagement Tracy Brala. "Philadelphia is uniquely positioned to lead, given its depth of groundbreaking innovation and unparalleled concentration of healthcare stakeholders and the Science Center brings distinctive capabilities to convene this ecosystem and accelerate the translation of innovation into real-world impact."
About the Science Center
The Science Center is a premier catalyst of entrepreneurial activity, healthcare innovation, and economic growth. Recognized by The Brookings Institution as a top-tier investor, mentor, and economic development partner, the Science Center has supported hundreds of early- and growth-stage companies, driving a combined $7.8B in annual economic impact in Greater Philadelphia alone. Today, the organization works across the globe to accelerate the translation of health innovations into real-world solutions, while delivering nationally recognized STEM education to Philadelphia youth. For more information, visit sciencecenter.org.
Media Contact
Kristen Fitch, University City Science Center, 1 610-420-1724, [email protected], sciencecenter.org
SOURCE University City Science Center
Share this article