Klasko Humanics Innovation Challenge

innovation-fund

Fairleigh Dickinson University, all campuses. Part of FDU HealthPath Forward strategic initiative.

Launched November 2025, the Klasko Humanics Innovation Challenge Fund invites students and faculty to develop interdisciplinary projects where artificial intelligence and human creativity work together to solve healthcare problems. Founded with a $200,000 seed gift from Dr. Stephen Klasko (executive-in-residence at General Catalyst, former CEO of Jefferson Health); an additional $300,000 raised from other donors ($500K total). The fund supports teams through a challenge framework: Two-Minute Pitch (short video submissions), Collaboration Experiment (mini-grants), and Community Showcase (public prototype event). Includes a Humanics Hub with Healthcare Humanity Lab, Culture-Tech Collision Studio, Creative Disruption Incubator, and Storytelling Data Lab. The Marion Turpan Innovation and Humanics Hub scheduled to open in 2027.

• Mini-grants for interdisciplinary teams
• Humanics Hub facilities (2027)
• Annual Humanics Symposium
• Mentorship and evaluation

$500,000 total fund. Mini-grant structure via challenge framework. Gift-based, non-dilutive.

Three-stage challenge: Two-Minute Pitch (videos) → Collaboration Experiment (mini-grants) → Community Showcase (public prototypes). Annual cycle with Humanics Symposium.

FDU students and faculty across all disciplines.

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