Empire State Development (ESD) announced the launch of Round 7 of the New York Fund for Innovation in Research and Scientific Talent (NYFIRST), a competitive program that helps New York medical schools recruit and retain leading translational researchers. Grants of up to $1 million are available to eligible medical schools to support hiring investigators whose work has commercial potential.
Applications open; rolling through July 16, 2027
The application period opened July 15, 2026. Eligible institutions may submit applications on a rolling basis through 5:00 p.m. on July 16, 2027. Full program guidelines and the application are posted on the Empire State Development website.
Focus on commercialization
For Round 7, ESD said evaluation criteria were updated to give greater emphasis to principal investigators whose translational research demonstrates strong commercialization potential through patents, spinoffs, or licensing. Grants may be used for eligible research-related costs for the recruited investigator; applicants must follow funding requirements and provide application materials outlined in the posted guidelines.
Program metrics
ESD noted that since NYFIRST launched in 2018 the program has awarded 13 grants to medical schools across New York. According to the announcement, NYFIRST has directly created more than 200 new jobs (including 125 hires from outside New York), with recruited investigators bringing approximately $32.6 million in prior research funding and subsequently securing an additional $119.7 million in external research support.
This round is part of New York State’s broader $620 million Life Science Initiative to strengthen the state’s biotech and life sciences sector by investing in research capacity, commercialization, and workforce development.
Applications and the program guidelines are available from Empire State Development: https://esd.ny.gov/ny-first-program
