Build the
Future

Founded in 2005, FasterCures established the Research Acceleration and Innovation Network (TRAIN) to support disease-focused patient organizations interested in taking a more strategic and entrepreneurial approach to their role as funders of medical research and trusted connectors to patient communities.

For two decades, FasterCures has created many resources, tools, and initiatives that help patient organizations build their capacity to advance research efforts for the communities they serve. In addition, TRAIN has served as a valuable platform to elevate the needs and perspectives of the patient and the patient organization communities to ensure that their voices are represented in important biomedical research and development (R&D) initiatives, policy discussions, and activities that impact the overall state of the biomedical R&D ecosystem. To that end, we ensured that patient organization voices were represented in initiatives that led to the formation of the 21st Century Cures Act, the creation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, to name a few examples.

In the past 5 years, FasterCures has taken a more curated approach to TRAIN programming to provide deeper learning opportunities on topics related to the foundations’ role in accelerating R&D tailored explicitly for “middle-maturity” (and more advanced) organizations that have moved beyond basic academic grant-making activities. Recent topics have included building more diverse and inclusive patient organizations and communities, developing patient-centered outcome measures, and more. 

Today, TRAIN comprises over 180 patient organizations representing a diverse set of both rare and common diseases and offers its members a range of valuable benefits, including:

• Access to exclusive TRAIN, FasterCures, and Milken Institute events, webinars, and workshops that address their greatest needs and priorities and help support their research missions.

• Networking through FasterCures’ expansive network of stakeholders to gain supportive relationships and advance collaboration in the biomedical R&D landscape.

• Learning from experts as a mentee or giving back as a mentor through FasterCures’ LeadersLink and/or CZI’s Rare as One mentorship programs.

• Peer-to-peer programming in “Communities of Practice” forums dedicated to tackling common challenges, exchanging best practices, and exploring innovative strategies.

In 2023, with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, MI piloted the HBCU Fellows Program. Now in its second year, the program expanded to include 20 new fellows and established an alumni network to mentor the next generation of the financial industry.  

• In 2024 the HBCU Fellows program expanded to include 20 Fellows and represent 13 institutions  

•  The 20 Fellows interned at Citi Bank, JP Morgan Chase, S&P Global, Apple, Oaktree Capital Management, Vista Equity Partners, KPMG, and others. 

• Increased partner and sponsor base to include Wells Fargo, the T.D. Jakes Foundation, and others  

• 100% internship offer rate 

• Increased partner and sponsor base to include Wells Fargo, the T.D. Jakes Foundation, and others  

• 100% internship offer rate. 

The Milken Institute convened a series of Financial Innovations Labs®, engaging more than 70 stakeholders from health care, finance, corporations, government, philanthropy, policy, advocacy, and academia to identify key barriers and solutions to chronic underinvestment in women’s reproductive health. 

The Lab process generated one overriding idea in particular: the creation of national women’s reproductive health network supporting a number of regional hubs to address investment risk-return barriers as well as barriers to equitable delivery of products and care across the health-care system. The solution is national in scope because no area of the country is untouched by disparities in women’s reproductive health. Its mission would be to develop the following: 

• Access to a powerful stakeholder network in centralized locations providing knowledge sharing, mentorship, incubation, and acceleration to participating bugs centered on community needs; 

• Financing models more suited for the unique challenges facing the women’s reproductive health field; and 

• A business interruption “insurance” model to safeguard reproductive health services amid a dynamic and fluid policy landscape.