Transparency - You should know where your money is going when you support medical research. With us, you can learn about the research you are supporting. Because your money goes towards a grant based on reaching milestones, you can have confidence that your contribution will be used for the research you sponsored. You will also have the opportunity to receive regular updates as the study progresses.

Empowerment - Why do the government, companies, and large organizations get to choose the research that should be funded, but we can't? Research sponsorship shouldn't be limited to millionaires and pharmaceutical companies. Research Lead empowers the average person to make a difference and fund meaningful medical research that matters to them. Meanwhile, researchers are empowered to conduct the research they believe will save lives and make us healthier.

Connection- We aim to connect you with researchers and learn their stories and motivations. By connecting researchers and sponsors, we aim to increase awareness of research and improve how research gets communicated. Together, we can create a community dedicated to research that will make a difference for all of us.

Researchers submit their studies to Research Lead to be reviewed by our experts. We review the studies to ensure that they meet Research Lead standards:

- Only qualified researchers. The researcher must have credentials and be affiliated with a reputable non-profit institution.

- Only well-designed, socially-driven medical research. Research must be not for profit without conflicts of interest. Research is supported by current scientific understanding and aimed at improving health in humans. ​​

We do NOT choose which topics of medical research are worthwhile. That is left up to you, our sponsors. Once a study is approved to be on the platform, the Research Lead supports the researcher and their team in preparing their profile. This includes helping convey clarity and understanding, selecting representative images and videos, and drafting of budget and grant.

As soon as a study reaches its funding goal, sponsorship is closed. We will let you know when your study has been fully funded! Research Lead then works with the researchers, their institution, and lawyers to finalize the grant for funding the study. Once the grant is finalized, the research will begin receiving grant payments as the study reaches milestones outlined in the profile (timeline section). You have the option to receive email updates, so you can be alerted as your sponsored research progresses! Once the study is complete, researchers will share their findings with you through the platform.