Elizabeth Cross Nichol

Program & Grants Manager

Elizabeth is the Program and Grants Manager for the Life Sciences Washington Institute. She will support the Institute team by being a conduit from the funding agency through the Institute to underserved entrepreneurs across the state. Elizabeth is responsible for the set up and implementation of two new grant programs, the SBIR/STTR Matching Grant and the Washington Competes Grant. A prime focus will be on the support of early-stage, life science, Washington-based entrepreneurs via awareness, recruitment, education, grant awards, and outcomes tracking. These grants are intended to accelerate Life Sciences Research Commercialization in Washington with a prime focus on addressing the different needs of varied applicant types.

Having worked as a clinician and a hospital administrator, Elizabeth is well aware of the need to bring safe and effective products and solutions to deliver great patient care.  She has conducted health technology and services assessment as both a purchaser and an investor. Working with several early-stage medical device concepts from ideation to commercial implementation, Elizabeth understands the challenges of moving through product lifecycle. As the past president of ORCANW, Elizabeth enjoys the opportunity to engage with regulatory colleagues on determining appropriate regulatory routes, while pursuing a lean business model for early monetization. Elizabeth has an MBA in Health and Business from Boston University and a Bachelors in Science from McMaster University.