2019-MeHI-02 Digital Health Sandbox Program

The Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, is offering grants to fund projects that support companies looking to test and validate new digital health products and services in a sandbox environment. The grants, ranging from $25,000 to $60,000, are available to Massachusetts-based digital health companies or products through a rolling solicitation process. Applications will be reviewed quarterly, with decisions anticipated 4-8 weeks after each review period. Eligible applicants must have a signed letter of support from an approved sandbox confirming they can meet the applicant's needs. The funding will be provided directly to the selected sandbox to offset the applicant's costs. Evaluation criteria focus on the feasibility and potential impact of the proposed project, with preference given to projects addressing cybersecurity, privacy, cost or access challenges, new technology workflows, and collaborations with academic researchers.

The program is open to companies of all sizes, with no minimum requirements for company revenue or funding. However, grant amounts will be based in part on the applicant's annual revenue and funding raised. The program offers a 100% subsidy for companies with 5 or fewer full-time employees, a 50% subsidy for companies with 10 or fewer employees, and a 25% subsidy for companies with more than 10 employees. The matching funds must come from federal, private, or the applicant's own sources and cover the sandbox's fees, not the applicant's staff time or product costs. The total funding available is up to $500,000 over a two-year period, with no cap on the number of awards.