Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University is a public charity based in Boston, Massachusetts. It develops bioinspired technologies and conducts research and technology development addressing challenges in health care and the environment. The institute collaborates across Harvard and with academic, clinical, and industry partners, and translates discoveries toward real-world use through collaborations, startups, and industry partnerships.
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc at a glance
In short: Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc gave $9.2M across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $771K), mostly in Massachusetts. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $9,249,939
- +26.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $770,828
- +36.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $954,907
- Total assets
- $478,867,652
- -6.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 201 Brookline Ave Suite 401, Boston, MA 02215
Phone: (617) 432-7061
Website: https://wyss.harvard.edu
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
ARPA-H PRINT Program (Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue)
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
Amount
Up to $25,000,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Healthy Aging Fund
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
Amount
$1,500,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Wellcome Leap - The Missed Vital Sign Program
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
Amount
Funding amount not specified in announcement
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Attivare Therapeutics Inc ($1.7M). Together the top 10 received $9.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 14 grants of 73 (19%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went primarily to Massachusetts recipients: 95% went to Massachusetts, 3% to New York, and 2% to California. The institute’s website describes collaborations with academic and clinical institutions in the Boston area and around the world.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 12 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $1.1M; repeat grants $745K. How we count
Medians: $1.1M first-time, $859K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $5.1M (2020) to $12.4M (2021). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $9.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Attivare Therapeutics Inc Natick, MA | Nonfed Sponsored | $1,693,161 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Fed/Nonfed Awards | $1,375,366 |
| Children's Hospital Corporation Boston, MA | Fed/Nonfed Sponsored | $1,173,360 |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc Boston, MA | Federal Sponsored Aw | $1,102,639 |
| The Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | Fed/Nonfed Sponsored | $1,096,260 |
| Enplusone Biosciences Inc Watertown, MA | Federal Sponsored Aw | $1,051,207 |
| The Brigham and Women's Hospital Inc Boston, MA | Fed/Nonfed Award | $858,606 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY | Federal Sponsored Aw | $260,039 |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA | Research Collaborations | $196,291 |
| Trustees of Boston University Boston, MA | Research Collab | $193,258 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The grant totals were reported across 12 grants in 2025, 13 in 2024, and 15 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $478,867,652 | $63,262,538 | $91,488,411 | $9,249,939 | 12 | $2,873,030 |
| 2024 | $512,893,468 | $61,613,633 | $85,948,150 | $7,337,525 | 13 | $2,588,902 |
| 2023 | $538,779,011 | $310,894,989 | $85,046,437 | $7,026,608 | 15 | $2,882,756 |
| 2022 | $165,782,005 | $48,462,213 | $73,057,969 | $5,675,005 | 17 | $2,941,486 |
| 2021 | $178,608,152 | $47,853,271 | $82,969,003 | $12,364,201 | 16 | $2,763,626 |
| 2020 | $225,546,330 | $52,451,825 | $78,487,395 | $5,141,204 | 20 | $3,389,799 |
| 2019 | $197,654,044 | $204,637,925 | $82,107,021 | $5,975,052 | 23 | $2,357,371 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The institute’s stated mission is to transform healthcare, industry, and the environment by emulating the way nature builds. Its work includes developing bioinspired materials and devices, with applications spanning healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable architecture. The institute’s current platforms and initiatives include bioinspired therapeutics, diagnostics, immuno-materials, living cellular devices, molecular robotics, 3D organ engineering, sustainable futures, and synthetic biology.
The institute supports research and technology development and provides research support to academic and nonprofit medical institutions. Its 2025 grants included MIT, whose mission is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, whose mission includes advancing science, medicine, and health care delivery for the benefit of humanity.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the institute reported 12 grants totaling $9,249,939. Grant amounts ranged from $85,528 to $1,693,161, with a median of $954,906.
The largest awards included $1,693,161 to Attivare Therapeutics Inc.; $1,375,366 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; $1,173,360 to Children’s Hospital Corporation; $1,102,639 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc.; and $1,096,260 to the Massachusetts General Hospital. Other recipients included EnPlusOne Biosciences Inc. ($1,051,207), Brigham and Women’s Hospital ($858,606), and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ($260,039).
The institute’s website describes a Sponsored Research Team that helps its researchers identify funding opportunities and prepare grant applications and related materials. This describes support for the institute’s own researchers, not an application process for outside grant applicants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Donald Ingber as president. Other listed officers and directors are Alan Garber, George Daley, Meredith Weenick, David Parkes, and John Shaw, directors; Angelika Fretzen, COO/Technology Translation Director; Julia Faber, clerk; Matthew Makarewicz, CFO/treasurer; and Paul Resnick, director of technology commercialization.
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc is led by Donald Ingber, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 22 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donald Ingber
President
On filings since 2019
46 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alan Garber
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Angelika Fretzen
COO & Tech Trans. Director
Technology Translation Director → Tech Translation Director, 2020
Tech Translation Director → COO & Tech Trans. Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
George Daley
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hansjorg Wyss
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Niemi
Senior Director, Trans. R & D
Lead Senior Staff Engineer → Lead Staff Engineer II, 2020
Lead Staff Engineer II → Senior Director, Trans. R & D, 2023
On filings since 2019
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth Lutchen
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Super
Director Immuno-Materials
Lead Staff Scientist II → Director & Immuno-Materials, 2023
Director & Immuno-Materials → Director Immuno-Materials, 2025
On filings since 2019
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Molly McUsic
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Norbert Haas
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Philip Reilly
Director
Director → Directors, 2020
Directors → Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Bland
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sandra Fenwick
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Gorman
Senior Director, Trans. R & D
Lead Staff Scientist II → Senior Director, Trans. R & D, 2022
On filings since 2021
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth Carlson
Senior Director Translational R & D
Lead Staff Scientist II → Senior Principal Scientist, 2022
Senior Principal Scientist → Senior Director Translational R & D, 2025
On filings since 2021
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul Resnick
Director of Tech Commercialization
Senior Director of Business Development → Director of Tech Commercialization, 2025
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
John Shaw
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Meredith Weenick
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Parkes
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Samuel Inverso
Business Development Director Partnership
New on the 2025 filing
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julia Faber
Clerk
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Makarewicz
CFO & Treasurer
Treasurer & Sr.dir. of Finance → CFO & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2022
60 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (14)
- Former: Robert Cunningham (2019–2024) — Senior Director of Strategic Engmt.
- Former: Francis Doyle (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Howard Stevenson (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Katherine Lapp (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Robert F. Higgins (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Srikant M. Datar (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Ayis Antoniou (2019–2022) — Former Treasurer & Administrator Director
- Former: Richard McCullough (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Astrid King (2020–2022) — Dr. of Finance & Controller
- Former: Margaret Newell (2022) — Director
- Former: Chuan Ally Chang (2021) — Senior Director of Business Development
- Former: Edward Doherty (2019–2020) — Lead Staff Scientist II
- Former: Mary Tolikas (2019) — Former Operations Director
- Former: William Blake (2019) — Business Development Lead
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc
How much does Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc give each year?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc gave $9.2M across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $7.3M across 13 grants.
What is Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's typical grant size?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's median grant in 2025 was $954,907, and its average grant was $770,828, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc that year got $1.1M on average.
Where does Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc give grants?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc gives mostly in Massachusetts: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (6 grants).
Does Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fed/Nonfed Sponsored" (3 grants) and "Federal Sponsored Aw" (3 grants).
Who are Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's largest grantees?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Attivare Therapeutics Inc ($1,693,161), Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($1,375,366) and Children's Hospital Corporation ($1,173,360), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc reported $478.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $63.3M.
What does Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc fund?
The institute’s stated mission is to transform healthcare, industry, and the environment by emulating the way nature builds. Its work includes developing bioinspired materials and devices, with applications spanning healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable architecture. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check wyss.harvard.edu for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's EIN?
Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0773387. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hansjorg-wyss-institute-for-biologically-inspired-engineering-at-harvard-univ-inc-morg_3f21a8d08fff49feb552c66cbcad6db1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_300773387_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hansjorg-wyss-institute-for-biologically-inspired-engineering-at-harvard-univ-inc-morg_3f21a8d08fff49feb552c66cbcad6db1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Univ Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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