Stanford University's School of Medicine has announced the creation of a $20 million endowment to support bioengineering projects that foster research collaborations between bioengineers and clinicians.

Launched with $10 million from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and matching funds from the office of Stanford University president John Hennessy, the endowment will enable the university to continue the Wallace H. Coulter Translational Research Grant Program. In 2006, Stanford was one of nine universities to receive a five-year, $5 million grant to help it move new products — including a blood test that could be used an alternative to an amniotic fluid test, a new type of surgical dressing that aims to prevent scarring, and an inexpensive ventilator for hospitals in developing countries unable to afford the current models — to market. The endowment will extend the program to include bioengineering faculty who have not participated and may not think of their research in terms of commercial translation.

Since its inception, twelve Stanford-Coulter projects have spurred a start-up or had their technology licensed by an existing company. After receiving funds through the program, the projects have gone on to garner $43 million in additional funding, with 49 percent from nongovernmental sources.

"The Coulter endowment fits perfectly at Stanford, with our shared commitments to innovation, entrepreneurship, and the translation of scientific discoveries into treatments that prevent illness, relieve suffering, and save lives," said Hennessy. "With this endowment, we will vastly expand our ability to launch groundbreaking bioengineering research projects that could transform medical care around the world."