UC San Diego is the fourth university to launch a $65m initiative with Deerfield Management, following Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins.

University of California (UC) San Diego unveiled the $65m Poseidon Innovation fund yesterday with the money coming from healthcare-focused investment firm Deerfield Management.

Poseidon Innovation will push early-stage university drug research. Deerfield will channel capital and resources into the initiative to help ensure research programs can withstand risks inherent in the embryonic phases of development.

Projects which exhibit commercial potential may go on to become spinouts with the possibility of follow-on investment from Deerfield.

Poseidon is intended to spur flexible,…