MTEC Update: Sixth Quarterly Newsletter 06/13/18

Sixth Quarterly Newsletter

June 13, 2018

MTEC's 3rd Annual Membership Meeting

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”

Pele

Here at MTEC, we appreciate the value of loving what you do, and we recognize how important it is to keep working toward our goals. Your passion for the MTEC mission was apparent throughout our third annual membership meeting, which took place at the Mayo Clinic this April.

Dr. Peter C. Amadio, M.D., Dean for Research Academic Affairs, Lloyd A. and Barbara A. Amundson Professor of Orthopedics, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Mayo Clinic said his team was glad to be a part of the event.

The membership meeting also featured a philanthropic partnership panel led by MTEC’s Chief Operating Officer, Bill Howell. The panelists—Lauren Palestrini, PhD, MTEC Director of Research, Kim Cunningham, MTEC Director of Development, Tom Brunner, President and CEO of the Glaucoma Research Foundation, Diane Bovenkamp, PhD, Vice President of Scientific Affairs for the BrightFocus Foundation, and Jonathan Miller, PhD, JD, Deputy for the Defense Medical Research Program, USAMRMC—discussed ongoing efforts to further the MTEC mission.

“Mayo Clinic was happy to host MTEC in Rochester, Minnesota. It was a great opportunity for us at Mayo, as new members of MTEC, to see first-hand all that MTEC has to offer.”

MTEC President and Chairman of the Board Lester Martinez, M.D, MPH, Major General (Ret.), U.S. Army offered a warm and passionate welcome to more than 120 government and industry attendees. Martinez called on participants to persistently and diligently assist MTEC in identifying solutions that bring treatment and healing to our injured military men and women in uniform.

During the panel, we announced a new co-funding partnership among MTEC, the Glaucoma Research Foundation, and the BrightFocus Foundation, demonstrating the value of collaboration and team building. This partnership seeks to develop prototype technologies with both commercial and military uses that restore, preserve, or regenerate the optic nerve damaged by traumatic eye injury. We look forward to keeping the consortium updated on this effort as it progresses.

Over the course of the two-day meeting, members demonstrated their enthusiasm for MTEC’s vision, meeting one-on-one with the MTEC team and the government to ask questions regarding military requirements, discussing topics such as contracting, Consortium operations and solicitation processes, and offering their own research ideas for consideration.”

However, nothing can demonstrate the mission of MTEC better than a warrior who was severely wounded in action and needed advanced prosthetics to get back on his feet. U.S. Army Ranger Captain Matthew Bacik shared his arduous journey to recovery with MTEC members at the meeting.

Bacik’s leg was severely injured in Iraq, and it was a long, hard road before he regained his ability to walk after multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation. His story is a tribute to how medical science can impact the lives of our wounded military and represents the vision MTEC was founded to achieve.

This year’s membership meeting concluded with a lively discussion moderated by Mr. Howell on ways to improve communication, increase participation, and expand collaboration within MTEC. Mr. Howell engaged participants in dialogue about how we can most effectively convey MTEC’s mission through branding and challenged the membership to get involved.

“You are now a part of the military medical family with the supreme mission of taking care of America’s young who put themselves in harm’s way. This is the mission of the angels, and you are a part of it now. So go forth and spread the word to others within America so they too can participate in this wonderful effort.”

The growth and improvement of MTEC were evident at this meeting, but everyone understood the importance of continuing to pursue MTEC’s goal of providing all men and women in uniform the opportunity to fully recover from the life-threatening injuries they sustain while protecting our country.

“There is much left for us to do, but we are committed to increasing opportunities for our members to interact with us so that, together, we can reach our goals,” said Mr. Howell.

We hope you will join us at next year’s meeting, which is scheduled to be held at the Mission Bay Conference Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

For more information on the 2019 membership meeting, contact MTEC Executive Director Stacey Lindbergh at stacey.lindbergh@ati.org .

Make an Online Donation to MTEC!

Multi-Topic White Paper Status

We are finally nearing the end of the notification process for the multi-topic white papers. We recognize this process has taken 2-3 months longer than originally planned and desired, but there is a significant “silver lining” that has emerged from this enterprise-wide initiative that bears highlighting.

The simple fact is the response to the call for white papers was overwhelming. We received 349 white papers spread across all seven of the topical areas listed in the Request for Project Proposals (RPP). This volume of submissions, coupled with a commitment to provide every MTEC member feedback on their white papers has caused the evaluation and feedback process to take far longer than we originally anticipated. As a matter of perspective and context, consider the following:

Of the 349 white papers submitted, 76 have been selected to move forward into a full proposal state (22%). This compares quite favorably with the ”normal” Broad Agency Announcement process wherein only about 10% of the white papers submitted are selected to proceed to full proposal.
Because of the initial screening process, we believe a substantial number of the full proposals will have the opportunity to be funded, either immediately or as additional funds (whether near-term expiring or next fiscal year) become available. Because these proposals have not yet been submitted or evaluated, we cannot make reliable predictions regarding the number or timing of the awards that eventually will be made.
Of the 76 white papers that will move to the full proposal stage, the intent is to coordinate the full proposal submissions in a way that will accelerate the reviews for those proposals for which expiring (FY17) funds are available, followed by those for which FY18 funds currently are available. The remainder of the proposal submissions will be invited thereafter. It is important to get this “second wave” of proposals submitted and reviewed in a timely fashion, as they become candidates for end of year funding or FY18 withhold returns -- funding that must be obligated quickly and for which these projects would be ready to award.
Based upon initial screening of the white papers, we are expecting that 2/3 or more of the full proposals invited in the “second wave” will satisfy the technical evaluation criteria and be eligible to receive project funding in addition to the full proposals identified for immediate FY17 and/or FY18 funding.

A rough order estimate is that when all the full proposals have been evaluated and awarded over the next 6-18 months, the total funds arising from this multi-topic RPP could surpass $100 million awarded to 25% or more of the current MTEC member organizations.

These impressive statistics tie directly back to the quality of the white papers submitted by our member organizations. This is a result of the effort you took in providing cogent papers -- cogent in both their military relevance and the technical potential of fulfilling the stated goal.

For those members whose white papers were not selected to move forward, our hope is that we can provide you feedback from the evaluators that may provide a benefit for future submissions. We want this to be a true learning experience for our members, and taking the time to relay useful feedback from the white paper evaluations is a must to make that happen. There will always be disagreement on the potential of projects between the military evaluators and the proposers, but at least we want you to understand why the military may have non-selected certain white papers so that you can benefit from the reviewers’ perspective.

Next Round Improvements: Finally, we are committed to capturing lessons learned from this initial effort in issuing a multi-topic RPP so that in the next effort (anticipated in the fall of 2018) we can execute the process in a way that will have things work a bit faster and more completely. The military leadership has found this a very useful tool, so we anticipate continuing a multi-topic RPP as an annual event. Some of the lessons learned / process improvements we already have identified include:

Restricting white paper submissions to members only;
Evaluate the utility of a new automated proposal internal management system to provide better visibility and control of submitted papers throughout the submission, review and award cycle;
Provide more in-depth instruction to evaluators;
Provide a bit more definition and restriction in topic areas; and
Evaluate other options based upon our ongoing engagements with private foundations and venture capitalists.

If MTEC members have additional suggestions, please forward them to us via email at mtec-sc@ati.org . Our goal is to have the next multi-topic RPP cycle work more effectively and more efficiently for everyone involved.

MHSRS 2018

The Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) will be held on August 20-23 in Kissimmee, Florida. MTEC will be conducting one-on-one meetings with membership, and government agencies interested in working with MTEC. We will release additional information shortly, including our Exhibit booth number so you can find us more easily. We look forward to speaking with you at MHSRS!

Read More about MHSRS 2018

Post Award Performance

From the COO:

As joyful as it is to win an award through MTEC, the hard work is just beginning as you turn to performance of that contract. As we stated at the third annual membership meeting, the goal of the military—and by extension, MTEC—is to place new technologies into the hands of clinicians who can improve the health outcome of their patients. To do that, members must be prepared to begin work upon award according to their development plan. Unfortunately, MTEC’s initial emphasis on creating funding opportunities and making new awards has limited our ability to monitor project performance. We are actively correcting this imbalance.

Both MTEC and our sponsors recognize that performance of R&D is critical to achieving the MTEC objectives. Accordingly, MTEC and the military are discussing the best ways to monitor the work being funded. We are considering establishing a project management cell that will maintain performance metrics and will help project performers overcome hurdles that may delay or challenge their work.

The rationale behind this approach is twofold. First, the military wants work to be completed as quickly as possible while maintaining compliance with all applicable laws. A means to monitor progress will build confidence in the ability of MTEC and its members to achieve that outcome. Second, the DoD is urging our sponsors to disburse their money on time or risk the withholding of additional funding in the next fiscal year. Though the military has two years to place R&D funding on contract, sponsors must disburse (or pay out against invoices) that funding in a timely manner based on a project plan. This withholding is a kiss of death for any major program that plans initiatives more than a year in advance. By creating a dedicated project management group, we can more quickly make our sponsors aware of any projects falling behind and can work with both the sponsor and the performer to put the project back on track.

So please take this article as a warning. Do not treat MTEC awards like your National Institute of Health RO1 grants. We award contracts with milestone plans and payments attached to performance. If you fall too far behind, there are significant ramifications.

If you do have schedule delays, please let us know as soon as possible, and we will work with you to find a path forward and prevent funding withholding. Let’s work together to make sure such withholds are not a part of MTEC!

Sincerely,

William Howell

Chief Operating Officer, MTEC

New Directors Added to MTEC Board

MTEC recently elected three new members to serve on the Consortium's Board of Directors: Gloria Matthews, DVM, Ph.D., DACVS (Large Business Representative), Theresa Peterson (At Large Board Representative), and Daniela Stricklin, Ph.D., MPH (At Large Board Representative).

Mark D. Breyen , Senior Director, Global R&D, Non-Intensive Diabetes Technologies (Type 2) of Medtronics was re-elected to a three year term as the Device Manufacturer Representative.

Dr. Kent Kester, FACP, FIDSA, FASTMH – Vice President and Head, Translational Science & Biomarkers for Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. was re-elected to a three year term as an At Large Board Representative.

Gloria Matthews, DVM, Ph.D., DACVS is the Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Mi Medx Corporation, the global premier processor, marketer, and distributor of human amniotic tissue, where she is responsible for facilitating biopharmaceutical transition. Dr. Matthews has previously acted as the Chief Medical Officer at Histogenics, where she was responsible for clinical development portfolio strategy and execution, and as the Senior Director of Research and Development at Sanofi Genzyme. With more than 20 years of clinical research and development experience, Dr. Matthews is a globally recognized intellectual and business leader.

Theresa Peterson has more than 25 years of experience developing and implementing technology policy and funding strategies as a government affairs and business development professional. She is currently the Senior Executive of External Affairs and Advanced Technology Programs at General Electric, where she is responsible for 20% of the GE Global Research funding and for building and expanding GE’s research and development partnerships in the U.S. Previously, Ms. Peterson was the Manager of Government Relations at 3M, a Legislative Assistant to Senator Wyche Fowler (GA), and the Legislative Director for Congressman Don Johnson (GA 10).

Daniela Stricklin, Ph.D., MPH is a Senior Science Advisor at Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA), an international research and engineering company. Dr. Stricklin is the technical lead for the Nuclear Survivability and Forensics program that uses innovative modeling approaches to explain the complexities of combined injury. The models are integrated into software, as well as Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) assets. She serves as a Distinguished Scientist Advisory Board member for Oak Ridge Associated Universities and represents DTRA on the NATO Research Task Group on radiation bioeffects. Previously, Dr. Stricklin supported regulatory review at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products and served as the Principal Investigator for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation program in Hiroshima on behalf of the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board at the National Academies of Sciences. She also spent several years at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, leading multi-disciplinary projects, establishing a biodosimetry laboratory, and developing international networks.

Young Leaders Council Spotlight:

Myles Grantham

Myles Grantham still knows exactly what he wants, even though circumstances dramatically changed the course of his life. After five combat deployments, he was forced to hang up his Army Ranger uniform and give up his role as a sniper when he suffered a life changing injury. Yet, Grantham continues to serve his country, tirelessly working to improve the quality of life for other injured service members.

Snipers rely on a steady hand, steely nerves, unwavering patience and a fierce commitment to carry out their orders successfully. There is no room for hesitation, no time for second guessing.

Grantham exhibits all those qualities.

“They give up on you when you are injured,” says Grantham. But it’s clear he did not give up on himself. Following his injury, he left his regiment to rehabilitate and get back into the game. He never thought of quitting.

“Honestly, I always thought I would get back to where I was. I thought I would go back to my job. I did not lose hope.”

A persistent and deliberate man, Grantham was steadfast in the pursuit of his goals. “I was going to heal up.” Grantham believes that during his service, the military was not prepared to deal with all the injuries, and there was no expectation an injured Soldier would come back. Grantham was convinced he would get back in uniform. But, despite numerous surgeries and $75,000 worth of electronics inside his body, he was not able to reach the goal he was so determined to achieve.

“Healing is a constant learning experience on how to use my body,” says Grantham.

His suffering was finally soothed by an implanted back pain stimulator from Boston Scientific, but Grantham will never forget the road he traveled to get to where he is today.

Now he chooses to give hope to others.

“I don’t want people to go through what I went through,” says Grantham.

He joined the MTEC Young Leaders Council to “pay it forward” in the hope that “others can have a better quality of life in their future.”

Grantham is eager to do all he can to increase awareness of the MTEC mission as a member of the Young Leaders Council. He realizes the impact he can have on other young men and women in uniform who end up on a similar journey.

Grantham, who holds a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University, is currently enrolled in Columbia University’s Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management program and is scheduled to graduate in August 2019. He is also the Director of the Collegiate Access Program (CAP) at Lead The Way Fund (LTWF). He hopes to use his education and his role at LTWF to create opportunities for other young Rangers to benefit from access to the nation's top colleges and universities.

He admits that he misses his time in uniform. “I wish I could have stayed in. My goal was to do twenty years, but it wasn’t in the cards.”

Grantham’s new battlefield is assisting MTEC, and he is approaching it with the same intensity he has always demonstrated. He believes MTEC offers a better quality of life for everyone in the future.

“We’re all going to need it one day.”

Like it , MTEC is Online!

W e invite all MTEC members to “like us” on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn—you can find us using #MTEC-SC . In 2018, MTEC hopes to expand our social networks, and we have lofty goals to reach!

By following MTEC, you’ll get up-to-the-minute information on upcoming events, white papers, Requests for Proposals, new members, and news.

Social media is dynamic and supports MTEC’s interactive, collaborative experience. So, please share your stories, photos, ask questions, or simply introduce yourself to the rest of the MTEC network. Tag us in posts that you think other members would like using #MTEC-SC !

MTEC members are the heart of our organization, so we are asking for your help to reach our goal of 10,000 subscribers. Please join us online and invite three others who would be supportive of MTEC’s mission!

To find us, search for #MTEC-SC .

Thank you for your support!