İş Private Equity, part of Turkey’s İşbank Group, has committed $39m to support a Harvard University research lab and launch a biotech firm aimed at developing metabolic disease treatments, in a move that could become a model for funding academic science as federal support wanes.

The investment will fund the laboratory of Professor Gökhan Hotamışlıgil at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The deal also includes future backing for commercial drug candidates emerging from the lab through a new biotech company, Enlila.

The partnership comes as Harvard, along with other US institutions, faces significant cuts to federal research grants. The Trump administration’s funding rollbacks have sparked widespread concern across academia, prompting universities to explore alternative capital sources.

While the scale of the deal is modest by private equity standards, it marks a significant step in bridging the gap between academic innovation and private capital. Harvard officials have highlighted the structure as a potential template for similar collaborations in the future.

This initiative signals how private equity can offer critical lifelines to scientific research under pressure, while also gaining access to early-stage biopharma opportunities with strong academic pedigree.

Source: Stat

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