Professor Deblina Sarkar, head of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research group, is one of twelve finalists for the 2023-24 MIT-Royalty Pharma Prize Competition.  Presented by the MIT Faculty Founder Initiative and supported by Royalty Pharma, the prize aims to support female faculty entrepreneurs in biotechnology and provide them with resources to help take their ideas to commercialization.

This spring, the finalists will pitch their ideas to a committee of faculty, biotech founders, and venture capitalists. The grand prize winner will receive $250,000. The breakthrough science award winner and runner-up award winner will each receive $100,000. A showcase event will be held on May 2, at which the entire cohort will share their work and the winners will be announced. All participants also receive a $10,000 stipend for participating in the competition.

The MIT Faculty Founder Initiative was launched in 2020 by the MIT School of Engineering, in collaboration with the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.