Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships
Defining Innovation 

At the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships (GPP), we know that innovation is critical to advancing cures for disease.  What makes research “innovative”?  A specific definition would restrict the creativity we hope to motivate, so we instead offer the following examples of current innovations in research: 

·        Attempting to scientifically validate significant anecdotal treatment success; 

·        Crossing disciplinary boundaries and fusing elements from different disciplines to produce radically different treatment alternatives and outcomes;

·        Finding fast, inexpensive and safe ways to test treatment efficacy when mechanism of action is unknown;

·        Developing diagnostics that select specific patients who can be cured by an existing therapy instead of testing whether the therapy can prolong the “average” life for all patients;

·        Finding ways to turn life or death diseases with low survival rates into long-term, chronic, manageable diseases with high long term survival rates;

·        Using input from a variety of disciplines to redraft a 3-year study to get results in 6 months at half the cost;

·        Translating technology from industry to medicine to create immediate and significant breakthroughs;

·        Replacing chemotherapy with a less destructive treatment instead of marginally improving the efficacy of current chemotherapy;

·        Designing radically different ‘proof of concept’ trials that can be used immediately with human subjects.

 How do we help motivate and support this innovative research?   

·        We inspire innovative researchers at all levels and in all fields to develop and propose radically novel, collaborative, translational, and transformational ideas with breakthrough potential, and then reward their innovation with financial support; 

·        We encourage innovation in those who have proposed more conventional research by asking them to rethink timelines, outcomes measures, research techniques, collaborators and budgets, to drastically accelerate the race for a cure and to use limited resources more efficiently;  

·        We craft innovative partnerships so that individual, foundational, corporate, institutional, and organizational “partners” we have introduced to each other share knowledge, resources and outcomes to multiply the likelihood of success; 

·        We utilize innovative “venture philanthropy” business tools to invest research with the urgency, control and diligence of successful for-profit ventures;

·        We foster an environment that allows for the possibility of 'failure' or negative outcomes, because without the high risk, there are no high rewards, and without innovation, there are no advances in knowledge. 

The GPP and our partners use these and other tools to seek out and support innovative research with the potential to offer a significant and immediate impact on the diagnosis, treatment or cure for one or more life-altering diseases.    Please join us as we partner with others to change the course of catastrophic diseases.