Accelerating Development of Baltimore Life Sciences
Blackbird Labs — named for the knowledge-seeking birds of lore and an homage to the Baltimore Ravens — is an independent, nonprofit research platform founded in 2023. Blackbird Labs launched with a $100 million founding grant from The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation and research collaborations with Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.
Our Mission
Blackbird Labs’ mission is to help universities and investigators commercialize their academic research to build innovative companies and bring world-changing technologies to life.
Our Vision
Our vision is to catalyze a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Baltimore by building innovative biotechnology companies.
Think Globally, Act Locally
Blackbird Labs helps catalyze Baltimore’s life sciences research by supporting start-up formation and development. Our goal is to commercialize the transformational science from our local partner institutions and drive impact across the ecosystem and on a national scale.
Our Location
We believe Baltimore is poised to become a major innovation hub. Baltimore’s research universities are world class – both Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland rank in the top 20 in federal research spending (Johns Hopkins University has been the top research university in the U.S. forty years running) – and Maryland as a state is ranked first in federal research dollars. We are focused on nurturing Baltimore’s potential – to drive job creation, retain local talent, and attract external capital and expertise to propel the city onto the national stage.