Since its inception, the Manning Innovation Program has provided 30 faculty members with Manning Innovation Awards to advance early-stage translational research and development. Based in the university’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), the program makes it easier for faculty to address problems in areas such as cancer treatments, wastewater treatment, veterinary science, and reproductive health care. One research professor used these funds to make strides toward life-saving liver disease treatments.
“Early-stage innovation is a high-risk proposition and difficult to find funding for,” explains Peter Reinhart, founding director of IALS. “The Manning Innovation Program is catalytic in that it creates a competitive mechanism for enabling the creation and development of promising start-up companies focused on human health and well-being.”
IALS is the catalyst for industry and academic partnerships. The institute contributes to creating new ventures and products in collaboration with the Isenberg School of Management, the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, the UMass Innovation Institute, and the Technology Transfer Office.
Examples of intellectual property arising from Manning-supported projects include a treatment to suppress inflammatory bowel disease, new technology to deliver probiotics in gummy form, a methodology for reducing impurity- driven reactions to RNA therapeutics, and an inhibitor for zika virus enzymes to treat birth defects and neurological disorders.
The Manning Innovation Program was established in 2018 by alumnus Paul Manning ’77 and his wife Diane and was initially open to CNS faculty. Following the program’s success, the Mannings committed an additional $8 million through their family foundation to expand the initiative and enhance the translational research pipeline.
Since the initial 2019 awards, supported projects have secured over $5 million in grants and investment for ongoing development in UMass Amherst labs and seven start-up companies.
Matt Carlyon, Vice President for Development at the UMass Amherst Foundation, expressed his gratitude, saying, “The transformative generosity of Paul and Diane Manning exemplifies the power of philanthropy to drive innovation and serve the greater good. Their commitment has empowered researchers, fostered entrepreneurship, and enabled groundbreaking advancements that have a tangible impact on human health and well-being. We are profoundly thankful for their vision and support, which continue to inspire the entire UMass community.”
