The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) provides an array of funding opportunities to advance life sciences research and outcomes in Washington. The Fund's grant-making opportunities are designed to leverage the state's investment in research by achieving three goals:
LSDF offers four different types of granting mechanisms: project, program, commercialization and opportunity grants. Projects are investigator-initiated scientific studies, relatively limited in scope, with a sharply defined research focus. Programs are strategic research initiatives, usually broad in scale, designed to address problems within a field of study and to position an organization or organizations for future competiveness and leadership. Commercialization grants support small-scale, highly targeted studies that move technologies along the commercialization pathway. Opportunity grants support compelling proposals having an urgency or nature that cannot be aligned with LSDF's annual competition cycles.
Eligible applicants include Washington nonprofit institutions, organizations, and agencies. Among these are public and private universities, public health departments, public and private hospitals, and health systems and clinics. Partnerships among nonprofit and for-profit organizations, public and private organizations, and laboratory researchers and clinicians, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations are also eligible and encouraged to apply.
In all of its competitions, LSDF advances its primary goals by evaluating proposals according to a consistent set of general criteria:
LSDF works with grantees to advance all these outcomes. Award agreements will identify specific results and establish timelines and milestones to measure success. During and after the grant period, recipients will provide detailed reports that permit evaluation of the Fund's awards programs.
The Life Sciences Discovery Fund is charged with the three-fold mission of enhancing life sciences competitiveness, improving health and fostering economic development in Washington State. LSDF addresses this charge by soliciting the best new ideas from Washington's researchers and after thorough due dilligence, investing public monies in the most outstanding programs and projects. For more information see LSDF Grant Review Process 
LSDF Policies Related to Grant Review:
adopted May 8, 2007 adopted May 8, 2007The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) is a public agency of the State of Washington. As such it must comply with the Washington State Public Records Act RCW 42.56. Consistent with the law, LSDF will disclose all requested public records unless a specific exemption permits it to withhold all or parts of those records.
Modified: 01/13/10