Madison, WI – [May 20, 2026] – Forward BIOLABS, in partnership with BioForward Wisconsin, is pleased to announce the opening of Round 2 applications of the Innovation to Commercialization Pipeline (ICP) Program. Building on the strong momentum from Round 1 of the program, Forward BIOLABS is excited to continue providing targeted support to young biohealth companies across Wisconsin as they advance technologies toward commercialization and long-term growth. ICP was created to address common barriers faced by emerging companies, including access to specialized expertise, commercialization services, and capital readiness. Through tailored, company-specific support, the program is designed to be flexible and responsive to the specific needs of each company, ensuring resources are aligned with key commercialization priorities.
The first round of ICP awardees are already putting ICP support to work. RoddyMedical utilized ICP funding to accelerate the adoption of SecureMove, strengthen customer engagement, and support its nationwide launch. SecureMove is Roddy’s flagship product for hospitals and surgery centers; an FDA-approved, wearable, single-use medical device designed to secure and organize various types of medical tubes, lines, and cords.
“We are so grateful for the ICP grant support that allowed us to strategically kick off the partnership with our sales team at their national meeting,” said Lindsey Roddy, Founder and CEO of RoddyMedical. “We are seeing safety events prevented and meaningful improvements in patient outcomes with customers. We look forward to hearing more success stories from clinicians as we continue expanding our flagship product into hospitals across the US. This ICP award has been incredibly valuable.”
Varizymes is another Round 1 ICP awardee that leveraged the program to implement commercialization roadmaps for its molecular diagnostic products, with the goal of expanding access to a broader patient population.
As David Mead, CEO of Varizymes, explains, “The timing of the ICP award was highly opportune, and we were fortunate to receive this valuable support to address key barriers for customers in accessing our diagnostic product portfolio. Through this effort, we were able to engage an elite marketing professional who has developed a targeted outreach campaign to better serve our customers, collaborators, and, most importantly, patients who will benefit from our molecular diagnostic assays.”
Application Period: Round 2 will open on May 26, 2026, and remain open through June 19, 2026. Following the review process, award decisions will be announced, allowing selected companies to begin utilizing program resources to advance their commercialization goals. Round 2 ICP awardees will be selected through a competitive review process led by an experienced committee of industry leaders, investors, and commercialization experts.
“The ICP awardees, dedicated committee members, and strong support from the state
speak volumes about Wisconsin’s commitment to advancing emerging biohealth companies. At Clarevia, we are proud to support companies as they advance their innovations in Wisconsin, a shared vision we hold with Forward BIOLABS and BioForward. I am excited to follow the progress of the ICP awardees and watch them grow into future success stories. We hope Round 2 awardees will be additional successes for Wisconsin’s statewide biohealth sector,” said Jenni Le, Principal at
Clarevia and ICP Award Committee member.
The ICP program is supported through state funding as part of Forward BIOLABS’ project within
the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub, a coordinated statewide initiative working to advance personalized medicine by connecting industry, research, workforce, and infrastructure partners. Through programs like ICP, the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub is helping move Wisconsin’s biohealth strategy from foundation to execution by strengthening the startup pipeline, supporting commercialization, and building shared capacity for long-term industry growth.
“Wisconsin’s biohealth industry is already a major economic engine, contributing more
than $37 billion to the state’s economy and supporting over 141,000 jobs,” noted Jessica Martin Eckerly, CEO and Co-founder of Forward BIOLABS. “To keep that engine growing, we need to ensure that promising early-stage companies have the resources to move from innovation to commercialization. By supporting these ventures at critical inflection points, this program helps strengthen Wisconsin’s startup pipeline, attract investment, create jobs, and build long-term competitiveness in one of the state’s most important industries.”
Forward BIOLABS and BioForward Wisconsin remain committed to fostering innovation,
accelerating company growth, and strengthening Wisconsin’s position as a nationally recognized leader in biohealth. As part of the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub, this work also contributes to the broad statewide effort to advance personalized medicine. For more information about eligibility requirements, application timelines, and program details, interested companies are encouraged to visit the ICP program webpage.
About Forward BIOLABS:
Forward BIOLABS is a premier coworking life science innovation hub that empowers early- stage biotech startups to launch and scale quickly. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Forward BIOLABS provides fully equipped, professionally maintained shared laboratories and office spaces, removing the barriers of time, cost, and complexity typically associated with starting a biotech company. As it expands its footprint in Madison and pilots a presence in Milwaukee, Forward BIOLABS continues to foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial ecosystem that accelerates scientific breakthroughs and drives innovation across Wisconsin.
About BioForward Wisconsin:
BioForward Wisconsin is the voice of the state’s biohealth industry and the lead organization for the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub. Representing more than 250 member organizations across a fully integrated health solutions network—including biopharma, medical device, diagnostics, digital health, research institutions, and healthcare systems—BioForward drives initiatives that deliver measurable impact. In 2025, BioForward strengthened its focus on supporting entrepreneurship and statewide innovation to further accelerate the growth of Wisconsin’s biohealth ecosystem and position the state as a global biohealth leader.
