Our purpose is to provide the education and mentorship necessary to advance research discoveries from the bench to the bedside. SPARK provides access to specialised knowledge and technical expertise regarding diagnostic, therapeutic and medical device development and sources of funding to support translational efforts.

All SPARK members will have access to workshops organised by SPARK and led by industry experts; from medical device regulations to establishing good clinical trials and how to create an enticing target product profile to engage future funders, the SPARK programme will increase researchers’ knowledge and understanding of the product discovery and development pipeline.

Originally started in Stanford University by Professor Daria Mochly-Rosen in 2006, SPARK has achieved unprecedented success in translating early academic discoveries to solutions addressing unmet needs. Where the global success rate for novel ideas making it to clinical trials is <5%, SPARK at Stanford has recorded a project success rate of 62%. By giving our unique individual tailored support to healthcare professionals and scientists, SPARK sets itself apart from other accelerator initiatives. It is no wonder that our programme is now offered in >50 countries worldwide. With this global network at our fingertips, we hope to build the connections and collaborations to propel your idea further in a shorter amount of time.

The first 6 months of our SPARK programme consist of one-to-one meetings on the following themes:

1. Kickstarting a Target Product Profile

2. Building a 5 year project plan

3. How to create a compelling narrative

4. Pitching and effective decks

5. Constructing a data room

6. Addressing risk pillars

Our SPARK cohort members will be given bespoke support for 24 months following onboarding with the aim of getting the funding in place to achieve the 5 year plan devised during the second team meeting.

We also host monthly in person cohort meetings to encourage members to share knowledge and expertise, tackle challenges side by side and inspire each other to go further.

The SPARK Global network gains members access to an unparalleled ecosystem of over 500 industry advisors spanning pharmaceuticals, biotech and medtech, regulatory affairs, and business development—enabling innovators to validate their technologies against industry standards rather than purely academic metrics.

The network's geographic footprint spans six continents with particularly dense clusters in Europe (including SPARK BIH in Berlin, SPARK Denmark, SPARK Finland, SPARK Western Switzerland, and us at SPARK The Midlands in the UK), Asia (with the recent 2024 launch of SPARK China uniting Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ruijin Hospital, and Shanghai Chest Hospital) , and the Americas anchored by Stanford's flagship program. This network facilitates cross-border validation—a preclinical project can test its assumptions against multiple healthcare systems simultaneously, identifying the optimal regulatory pathway (whether FDA, EMA, or NMPA approval) and market entry strategy before committing to costly development steps.