Astound Research is looking for scientists. Specifically scientists in need of funding for research.
“We are bridging the gap between academia and industry,” said Astound CEO Morgan Cole. “We currently have $300 million in active funds moving on the Astound platform as we speak.”
Astound Research is a platform designed to facilitate widespread collaboration between non-governmental organizations and academia. The platform matches available funding opportunities with scientists conducting research specific to the needs of industry, as well as foundations, nonprofits and non-governmental organizations.
“Instead of conducting research that could literally cure cancer, too many scientists are having to use their time and focus scouring for funding. At the same time, world class industry partners and non-government foundations like the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama are always looking for the best academic scientists who can accelerate drug development and therapies,” said Cole. “Astound is like a matchmaking service for researchers and industry funding.”
Once a researcher signs up on Astound, they will automatically be matched with available funding. What used to take weeks can now take minutes, according to Cole.
“It’s a win for businesses looking to get products to market and a win for university-based researchers, who are seeing less federal funding for their work,” he said.
Foresight Biosciences at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville has partnered with Astound with great success, according to Jennifer Riggs-Sauthier, COO of Foresight Biosciences.
“Astound helped Foresight Biosciences connect to opportunities that might have taken weeks or months to identify,” she said. “By facilitating valuable connections to industry funding opportunities, Astound allows my team to focus on the science and meeting customer needs.”
Foresight Biosciences commercializes technology for glycobiology research with an emphasis on creating tools for engineering glycoconjugates.
Cole is urging more researchers and scientists to join the Astound platform, the world’s largest, searchable database of active funding opportunities with the goal of helping research scientists connect more effectively with research funders.
“Thanks to breakthroughs in generative AI, researchers with an Astound account do not have to spend any time searching,” he said. “Astound does the work for them, instantly matching research scientists to funds using a matching algorithm.”
Cole said matching funds are then emailed directly to the researcher, who also receives notifications when new opportunities become available.
BioHorizons, a global leader for hard and soft tissue solutions, partnered with Astound to engage needed researchers as they work to develop evidence-based and scientifically-proven products.
“Through Astound, BioHorizons was able to successfully engage data analysts for scientific research associated with intraoral scanning,” said Rana Atieh, Director of Research Engineering at BioHorizons. “The platform introduced BioHorizons’ research team to new academic personnel, giving us the opportunity to share and discuss research proposals.”
BioHorizons, based in Alabama, focuses on dental implants and biologics products and is one of the fastest growing companies in the dental industry.
Astound’s growth in the past two years has been “astounding,” according to Cole. The $300 million in active funding currently available on Astound is increasing daily as more and more researchers and industry leaders are able to connect on the platform.
“We are truly working to accelerate the speed of science at Astound Research,” Cole said.
“It’s our mission.”
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