About SPARK NS

SPARK NS is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to efficiently advancing promising academic discoveries in neuroscience from the lab to the clinic.

A woman and a man wearing protective eyeglasses, examining a beaker, with an light blue circle.

Our Vision

Every person with a neurological disorder has safe and effective treatments and cures.
The problem

14% of biomedical discoveries make it to the clinic.1

The Need

More Effective Drug Development


Close gaps in knowledge and know-how

Academic researchers often have gaps in knowledge and know-how about how to translate discoveries.

Bridge cultural divide

A cultural divide exists between academic researchers and industry that discourages collaboration.

Support translation efforts
Academia lacks the infrastructure to support researchers’ needs during translation and commercialization.

The SPARK NS Solution

Eliminate barriers that slow or prevent promising discoveries from directly benefiting patients.

Immersive translational research programs

Two-year, disease-specific programs bring academic researchers together into cohorts to learn from their peers, industry expert advisors, and SPARK NS staff.

Cohort-wide working sessions

Academic researchers and the 50+ SPARK NS industry expert advisors put aside competing interests to work together for the benefit of patients in meetings that everyone attends and in which all voices are heard.

Resources needed to succeed

Milestone-based funding, education in drug development, mentorship from industry expert advisors, and networking opportunities provide academic researchers with all the resources they need to advance their projects.

Learn more about ourprograms
A proven model

Developed and Refined at Stanford University

The foundation of SPARK NS programs is a proven model for translational research developed and refined at Stanford University School of Medicine since 2006. The originators of the model, Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, and Kevin Grimes, MD, play key roles at SPARK NS.

Success Rate

50% of projects that use the SPARK model advance.2

Our Values

  • A stopwatch

    Act with Urgency

    We are reinventing a process that results in the failure of 86% of drug and diagnostics development efforts.

  • Line drawing of 3 people working together in a circle

    Work Together

    We work in cross-disciplinary teams to share knowledge, learn from each other’s successes and failures, and collaborate so everyone can succeed. 

  • People

    Remove Ego from the Process

    We create environments where all voices are heard and everyone can put aside competing interests for the benefit of patients.

  • People

    Value Creativity and Accept Risk

    We cultivate curiosity, creativity, and innovation and are prepared to tackle high-impact, high-risk endeavors. 

  • Clock

    Embrace a Growth Mindset

    We continually seek ways to improve, extend, and enhance our model, programs, and operations. 

  • Patients

    Put Patients First

    We bring patients’ needs into academic research at the earliest stage to help ensure that therapeutics meet an unmet need and are safe and effective.

Our People

We’re scientists, educators, project managers, industry experts, and business leaders working together to more effectively advance academic discoveries from the lab to the clinic.

Meet ourpeople
2 women working across a desk.
Call for Proposals

SPARK NS 2025 Parkinson’s Disease Translational Research Program

SPARK NS is no longer accepting applications for this program. Finalists will present September 13-15, 2024. Selected projects will be notified October 4, 2024. We will release a Call for Proposals for our 2026 program in April 2025.

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  1. Wong, C.H., Siah, K.W, and Lo, A.W. Estimation of clinical trial success rates and related parameters. Biostatistics 20, 273-286, . (2019).

  2. Kim, J.S., Kargotich, S., Lee, S.H. et al. SPARKing academic technologies across the valley of death. Nat Biotechnol 42, 339–342 (2024).