UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

SURMODICS, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Surmodics, Inc. Notice of 2023 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement for February 9, 2023 SURMODICS

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Surmodics, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held on February 8, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. (Minneapolis time), as a virtual meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SRDX24 where you will be able to listen to the meeting live, submit questions and vote online. We believe that a virtual shareholder meeting provides greater access to those who may want to attend and therefore have chosen this method for our annual meeting over an in-person meeting.

Only shareholders of record at the close of business on December 12, 2023 are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the meeting or any adjournment of the meeting. To vote your shares, we ask that you follow the instructions in the notice of internet availability of proxy materials or the proxy card that you received in the mail.

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please vote at your earliest convenience. Prompt voting will save the Company the expense of further requests.

December 18, 2023

Very truly yours,

SUSAN E. KNIGHT

Chair of the Board

Eden Prairie, Minnesota

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PROXY STATEMENT

SURMODICS, INC.

9924 West 74th Street

Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344

Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Agenda and Voting Recommendations

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INTRODUCTION

This proxy statement is furnished to shareholders of the Company in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of the Company to be voted at the virtual annual meeting of shareholders to be held on February 8, 2024 (the “Annual Meeting”), at 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, or any adjournments or postponements thereof. This proxy statement and the form of proxy, along with the annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 (the “Annual Report”), are being first sent or given to shareholders on or about December 18, 2023. The Company also expects that the Notice Regarding Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) will first be sent to shareholders on or about December 18, 2023. The mailing address of the Company’s principal executive offices is 9924 West 74th Street, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344.

Solicitation of Proxies

The Company will pay all solicitation expenses in connection with this proxy statement and related proxy soliciting material of the Board, including the preparation and assembly of the proxies and soliciting material. Proxies may be solicited personally or by mail, telephone, fax or by our directors, officers and regular employees who will not be additionally compensated for any such services.

If You Hold Your Shares in “Street Name”

If you hold your shares in “street name”, e.g., through a bank, broker or other holder of record (a “custodian”), your custodian is required to vote your shares on your behalf in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give instructions to your custodian, your custodian will not be permitted to vote your shares with respect to “non-routine” items. Please note that if you intend to vote your street name shares at the Annual Meeting, you must provide a “legal proxy” from your custodian at the Annual Meeting.

Revocation of a Proxy

Any shareholder giving a proxy may revoke it at any time prior to its use at the meeting by giving written notice of the revocation to the Secretary of the Company, or by submitting a subsequent proxy by internet, telephone or mail. Attendance at the virtual meeting is not, by itself, sufficient to revoke a proxy unless written notice of the revocation or a subsequent proxy is delivered to the Secretary of the Company before the revoked or superseded proxy is used at the virtual meeting. Proxies not revoked will be voted in accordance with the choices specified by shareholders on the proxy for that purpose.

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Requesting Paper Copies and Voting

Pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) rules related to the availability of proxy materials, we have chosen to make our proxy statement and related materials, including our Annual Report, available online to our shareholders and, as permitted by the rules, paper copies of these materials will only be provided upon request. We are providing to our shareholders (other than those who previously requested electronic or paper delivery) the Notice, which contains instructions on how to access this proxy statement and related materials online. If your shares are held in “street name”, the Notice will be forwarded to you by your custodian. If you received the Notice by mail, you will not automatically receive a printed copy of the proxy materials in the mail. Instead, the Notice instructs you on how to access and review all of the important information contained in the proxy materials. The Notice also instructs you on how you may vote your shares, including via the internet. If you previously requested electronic delivery, you will still receive an e-mail providing you the Notice, and if you previously requested paper delivery, you will still receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail. All properly submitted voting instructions will be voted at the Annual Meeting according to the instructions given, provided they are received prior to the applicable deadlines. If you submit a proxy card without voting instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the Board’s recommendations described in this proxy statement.

Participation in the Annual Meeting

On the day of our Annual Meeting, we recommend that you log into our virtual meeting at least fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled start time to ensure that you can access the meeting. If you wish to submit a question, type your question into the “Ask a Question” field and click “Submit.” Questions related directly to the Annual Meeting will be answered during our virtual meeting, subject to time constraints. Any questions pertinent to meeting matters that cannot be answered during the meeting due to time constraints will be posted online and answered on our website at www.surmodics.com under the “Investors” tab. The questions and answers will be available as soon as practical after the meeting and will remain available until one week after the posting.

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OUTSTANDING SHARES AND VOTING RIGHTS

The Board of Directors of the Company has fixed December 12, 2023, as the record date for determining shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Persons who were not shareholders on such date will not be allowed to vote at the Annual Meeting. At the close of business on December 12, 2023, 14,233,768 shares of the Company’s common stock were issued and outstanding. Common stock is the only outstanding class of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote at the meeting. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter to be voted upon at the meeting. Holders of common stock are not entitled to cumulative voting rights. If a shareholder votes, the shares will be counted as part of the quorum.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a plurality of the shares of common stock present at the Annual Meeting (including by proxy) and entitled to vote is required for the election to the Board of each of the nominees for director. Shareholders do not have the right to cumulate their votes in the election of directors. “Plurality” means that the individuals who receive the greatest number of votes cast “For” are elected as directors. Accordingly, the two nominees for director receiving the highest vote totals will be elected as directors of the Company.

The affirmative vote of the holders of the greater of (1) a majority of the shares of our common stock present (including by proxy) and entitled to vote on the proposal or (2) a majority of the minimum number of shares entitled to vote that would constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the meeting is required for approval of Proposals 2 and 3.

The vote to approve our executive compensation (Proposal 4) is advisory and not binding on our Board of Directors. However, our Board will consider our shareholders to have approved our executive compensation if the number of votes “For” Proposal 4 exceeds the number of votes “Against” Proposal 4.

Abstention with respect to the election of directors and the advisory vote on executive compensation will not have any effect on the outcome of these proposals. Abstention with respect to any proposal other than the election of directors and the advisory vote on executive compensation will have the effect of casting a negative vote on that proposal. A shareholder who does not vote at the Annual Meeting on a proposal (including by proxy) is not deemed to be present for the purpose of determining whether a proposal has been approved.

Custodians cannot vote on their customers’ behalf on “non-routine” proposals such as Proposal 1 related to the election of directors, Proposal 2 related to board size, and Proposal 4 related to executive compensation. Because custodians require their customers’ direction to vote on such non-routine matters, it is critical that shareholders provide their custodians with voting instructions. On the other hand, Proposal 3, ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm, is a “routine” matter for which custodians do not need voting instruction in order to vote shares.

For vote requirement purposes for Proposals 1, 2, and 4, broker non-votes are considered to be shares present by proxy at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining a quorum but are not considered to be shares “entitled to vote” or “votes cast” on such items at the Annual Meeting.

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How You Can Vote

You may vote in one of the following ways:

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

The following table provides information concerning persons known to the Company to be the beneficial owners of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock as of December 12, 2023. Unless otherwise indicated, the shareholders listed in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares indicated.

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MANAGEMENT SHAREHOLDINGS

The following table sets forth the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned as of December 12, 2023, by each executive officer of the Company named in the Summary Compensation Table, by each current director of the Company and by all directors and executive officers (including the NEOs) as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the shareholders listed in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares indicated.

* Less than 1%

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ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

(Proposals #1 and #2)

General Information

The Bylaws of the Company provide that the number of directors, which shall not be less than three, shall be determined annually by the shareholders. The Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and Board of Directors have recommended that the number of directors be set at six (6) at the Annual Meeting.

The Bylaws also provide for the election of three classes of directors with terms staggered so as to require the election of only one class of directors each year, and further that each class be equal in number, or as nearly as possible. Only directors who currently are members of Class I are nominated for election at the Annual Meeting. Each Class I director will serve a three-year term and, therefore, will hold office until the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified, or until his or her resignation or removal from office. The terms of Class II and Class III directors continue until the 2025 and 2026 annual meetings, respectively.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has recommended, and the Board of Directors selected, David R. Dantzker, M.D. and Lisa W. Heine as the Board’s nominees for election as Class I directors. Each of these nominees has indicated a willingness to serve as a director if elected and has consented to be named in the proxy statement. Brief biographical profiles of Dr. Dantzker and Ms. Heine are provided below. A proxy will be voted for each of such nominees unless the proxy withholds a vote for one or both nominees. If, prior to the meeting, it should become known that either of the nominees will be unable to serve as a director after the meeting by reason of death, incapacity or other unexpected occurrence, the Proxies will be voted for such substitute nominee as is recommended or selected by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors or, alternatively, not voted for any nominee. The Board of Directors has no reason to believe that any nominee will be unable to serve.

Under the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, it is a policy of the Board that a director shall offer to retire from the Board effective at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting following his or her seventy-second birthday. In this circumstance, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will review the appropriateness of such director’s continuation on the Board, and recommend to the Board whether, in light of all the circumstances, the Board should accept the director’s proposed retirement. Under this policy, Dr. Dantzker, who attained the age of seventy-two during fiscal 2015, offered to retire at the conclusion of the Company’s 2016 annual meeting. The Board, based upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, determined it appropriate for Dr. Dantzker to continue his service on the Board given his substantial experience and familiarity with the Company and the Board, as well as his medical experience. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board considered the same factors when determining to recommend and select Dr. Dantzker for re-election at the Annual Meeting.

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A plurality of votes cast is required for the election of directors. However, under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, any nominee for director in an uncontested election (i.e., an election where the only nominees are those recommended by the Board of Directors) who receives a greater number of votes “withheld” from his or her election than votes “for” such election (a “Majority Withheld Vote”) will, within five business days of the certification of the shareholder vote by the inspector of elections, tender a written offer to resign from the Board. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will promptly consider the resignation offer and recommend to the Board of Directors whether to accept it.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider all factors its members deem relevant in considering whether to recommend acceptance or rejection of the resignation offer, including, without limitation:

Any director who tenders his or her offer to resign from the Board pursuant to this provision shall not participate in the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee or Board deliberations regarding whether to accept the offer of resignation. The Board will act on the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s recommendation within ninety (90) days following the certification of the shareholder vote by the inspector of elections, which action may include, without limitation:

Thereafter, the Board will disclose its decision whether to accept the director’s resignation offer and the reasons for rejecting the offer, if applicable, in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within four business days of the Board’s determination.

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The following information is provided with respect to each director whose term will continue after the Annual Meeting and each director nominee:

Board Diversity

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Director Nominees and Continuing Directors

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

The Company’s Board Compensation Policy (the “Policy”) provides cash and equity compensation to our non-employee directors for their service on the Board and its committees as discussed below. On a periodic basis, the Organization and Compensation Committee reviews the Policy to ensure that the level of compensation is appropriate to attract and retain a diverse group of directors with the breadth of experience necessary to perform our Board’s duties and to compensate our directors fairly for their services. The review includes the consideration of qualitative and comparative factors. To ensure directors are compensated relative to the scope of their responsibilities, the Organization and Compensation Committee considers: (1) the time and effort involved in preparing for Board and committee meetings and the additional duties assumed by committee chairs and our Board chair, (2) the risks associated with fulfilling fiduciary duties, and (3) the compensation paid to directors at the same peer group of companies used to assess the competitiveness of our executive compensation programs (as discussed below).

Cash Compensation. During fiscal 2023, each of our non-employee directors was paid an annual retainer of $45,000. Our non-employee directors were also eligible to receive additional annual retainers as follows:

The cash retainers are paid quarterly following the completion of each calendar quarter. However, the cash retainers are reduced by 25% if a non-employee director does not attend at least 75% of the total meetings of the Board and board committees on which such director served during the year.

Equity Compensation. In addition to the cash compensation described above, each of our non-employee directors receives stock awards as compensation for their service on the Board. Upon a director’s initial election or appointment to the Board, such director will receive an equity award having a grant date value of $115,000, one-half of such award will be in the form of nonqualified stock options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock (as estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model as of the date of the grant) and the other half will be in the form of restricted stock units (“RSUs”). On an annual basis thereafter, each non-employee director (other than the Board chair) will receive an equity award having a grant value of $115,000 and the Board chair will receive an equity award having a grant value of $124,000, one-half of such award will be in the form of stock options and the other half will be in the form of RSUs. The value of the first annual equity grant following a director’s initial election or appointment to the Board will be pro-rated based on such director’s length of service on the Board during the preceding 12-month period. Equity awards granted to our non-employee directors in fiscal 2023 (a) were granted on the date of the Company’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders; (b) vest ratably on a monthly basis; and (c) with respect to RSUs, become fully vested on the earlier of the 12-month anniversary of the grant date, or the date of the next year’s annual meeting. Stock options (i) have a seven-year term, and (ii) have an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.

Stock in Lieu of Cash Compensation. A non-employee director may elect annually to receive all or a portion of their cash retainers in the form of deferred stock units that are vested upon issuance (“DSUs”). Each DSU award is granted on the date any regular annual cash retainer would have otherwise been paid, and the number of units covered by such award is determined using the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on such date. Each such DSU award would be settled in shares of the Company’s common stock after the non-employee director leaves the Board.

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Dividend Equivalents. RSU and DSU awards granted prior to fiscal 2015 include dividend equivalent rights. To the extent the Company pays a dividend, non-employee directors with RSU or DSU awards granted prior to fiscal 2015 will have the right to receive dividend equivalents for each RSU and DSU held by such director on the record date for the payment of such dividend. The dividend equivalents will be treated as reinvested in an additional number of RSUs and DSUs, which will be determined by dividing (a) the cash amount of any such dividend that would have been paid if the RSUs held by the director were outstanding shares of Company stock by (b) the fair market value of the Company’s common stock (i.e., the closing price) on the applicable dividend payment date. RSU and DSU awards granted after October 1, 2014 do not include dividend equivalent rights.

Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership. The Board of Directors has established equity ownership guidelines for all non-employee directors. For a description of the equity ownership guidelines, see “Corporate Governance — Equity Ownership Guidelines, and Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policies.”

Other Compensation. All non-employee directors are reimbursed for their reasonable travel-related expenses incurred in attending board and committee meetings.

Summary of Fiscal 2023 Director Compensation

The table below presents all compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to the Company’s non-employee directors during fiscal 2023. Compensation for Gary R. Maharaj, our President and Chief Executive Officer, is set forth below under the heading “Executive Compensation and Other Information.”

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Company’s business affairs are conducted under the direction of the Board of Directors in accordance with the Minnesota Business Corporation Act and the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Certain corporate governance practices that the Company follows are summarized below.

Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

We have adopted the Surmodics Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code of Conduct”), which applies to our directors, officers and employees. The Code of Conduct is publicly available on our website at www.surmodics.com under the caption Investors/Corporate Governance. If we make any substantive amendments to the Code of Conduct or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver from a provision of the Code of Conduct, to our directors or executive officers, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The Board of Directors most recently updated the Code of Conduct in August of 2022.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

The Board has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines (the “Guidelines”). The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for overseeing the Guidelines and annually reviews them and makes recommendations to the Board concerning corporate governance matters. The Board may amend, waive, suspend, or repeal any of the Guidelines at any time, with or without public notice, as it determines necessary or appropriate in the exercise of the Board’s judgment or fiduciary duties. We have posted the Guidelines on our website at www.surmodics.com under the caption Investors/Corporate Governance.

Board Evaluation

The Board and each of its committees follow a process, overseen by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, to determine their effectiveness and opportunities for improvement. Our Guidelines provide that the Board will annually evaluate its performance to determine whether the Board, its committees and its individual members are functioning effectively. Typically, the evaluation process involves each director completing an assessment questionnaire soliciting feedback regarding the effectiveness of the Board and any committee on which the director serves and opportunities for improvement. In addition, the Chair of the Board and its committees may, from time to time, engage in informal discussions with Board members concerning the effectiveness of the Board and its committees.

The evaluation process is intended to solicit feedback from directors across several areas, including:

The Board and each committee review the results of the assessments and identify areas of focus for future years and any necessary follow-up actions.

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Board Role in Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors, in exercising its overall responsibility to oversee the management of our business, has an active and ongoing role in the management of the risks of our business and considers risks when reviewing the Company’s strategic plan, financial results, corporate development activities, and legal and regulatory matters. The Board satisfies this responsibility through regular reports directly from officers responsible for oversight of particular risks within the Company. The Board’s risk management oversight also includes full and open communications with management to review the adequacy and functionality of the risk management processes used by management. In addition, the Board of Directors uses its committees to assist in its risk oversight responsibility as follows:

Periodically, the Organization and Compensation Committee reviews the Company’s compensation policies, programs and procedures, including the incentives they create and mitigating factors that may reduce the likelihood of excessive risk taking, to determine whether they present a significant risk to the Company. In its most recent review, the Organization and Compensation Committee assessed risk factors associated with specific compensation programs, as well as enterprise-level compensation risk factors. The program-specific risk factors assessed included payout potential, payout as a percentage of total compensation, risk of manipulation, overall plan design, and market appropriateness. Enterprise-level risk factors evaluated included the overall compensation mix, consistency between annual and long-term objectives as well as metrics, achievability of performance goals without undue risk-taking, the relationship of long-term awards to the Company’s pay philosophy, stock ownership requirements, the weighting and duration of performance metrics, and the interaction of compensation plans with the Company’s financial performance and strategy. Based on this review, the Organization and Compensation Committee concluded that the Company’s compensation policies, programs and procedures are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Board Leadership Structure

Our Board currently separates the offices of Chair of our Board and CEO by appointing an independent, non-executive chair. While we do not have a written policy with respect to separation of these roles, our Board believes that an independent Board chair permits our CEO to focus on managing his day-to-day responsibilities to our Company and facilitates our Board’s independent oversight of our executive officers’ management of strategic direction, operational execution, and business risk, thereby better protecting shareholder value. Ms. Knight serves as our non-executive Board chair. Ms. Knight (a) manages and provides leadership to the Board of Directors; (b) through the Chief Executive Officer, acts as a direct liaison between the Board and the management of the Company; and (c) presides at all meetings of the shareholders and of the Board, including executive sessions of our independent directors.

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Related Person Transaction Approval Policy

Our Board of Directors has adopted a written policy for transactions with related persons, as defined in Item 404 of SEC Regulation S-K, which sets forth our policies and procedures for the review, approval or ratification of transactions with related persons who are subject to the policy. Our policy applies to any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships in which we are a participant and a related person has a direct or indirect interest. Our policy, however, exempts the following:

We consider the following persons to be related persons under the policy:

The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors must approve any related person transaction subject to this policy before commencement of the related person transaction. The Audit Committee will analyze the following factors, in addition to any other factors the Audit Committee deems appropriate, in determining whether to approve a related person transaction:

The Audit Committee may, in its sole discretion, approve or deny any related person transaction. Approval of a related person transaction may be conditioned upon the Company and the related person taking any actions that the Audit Committee deems appropriate.

If one of our executive officers becomes aware of a related person transaction that has not previously been approved under the policy:

Transactions with Related Persons. Kimberly Brastad is the sister of Teryl L.W. Sides, our Senior Vice President and President, Vascular Interventions, and an executive officer of the Company. We employ Ms. Brastad as our Senior Director, Education and Organizational Development. Her aggregate compensation in fiscal 2023 exceeded $120,000. Ms. Brastad’s fiscal 2023 aggregate compensation was approved by the Audit Committee of the Board.

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Equity Ownership Guidelines, and Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policies

Our Board believes that ownership of significant amounts of our stock by our executive officers and directors will help align their interests with those of our shareholders. To that end, our Board has adopted equity ownership guidelines for our directors and executive officers at the level of vice president or above:

Until the applicable ownership requirement set forth above is attained, (a) executive officers subject to the guidelines (other than the CEO) are required to retain ownership of 50% of the “net shares” (as defined below) received, and (b) our CEO and non-employee directors are required to retain ownership of 75% of the net shares received. Once the applicable ownership requirement has been attained, it must continue to be met following any disposition of “net shares” by a non-employee director and any executive officer subject to the policy. “Net shares” is defined as the number of shares of the Company’s common stock that remain after the exercise of stock options or the vesting of restricted or performance shares less the number of shares that are sold or netted against the award to pay any applicable exercise price, state or federal income taxes, or withholding taxes. Shares that count toward meeting the ownership requirements consist of shares owned outright (directly or indirectly), restricted stock or restricted stock units (whether or not vested), and deferred shares or deferred stock units (whether or not vested). Shares that do not count toward meeting the stock ownership requirements include unexercised stock options. As of September 30, 2023, all of our non-employee directors and all of our executive officers subject to the policy have attained the minimum level of ownership set forth in the guidelines, with the exception of Ms. Sides (who joined our Company in November 2018) and Mr. Weber (who joined our Company in May 2020). We believe that these executives are continuing to make satisfactory progress towards the minimum level of ownership set forth in the guidelines.

Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policies. The Company’s Securities Trading Policy provides that none of our directors, officers or employees may trade in publicly traded options, puts, calls, or other derivative instruments related to Company securities or purchase financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset a decrease in the market value of any Company securities. The Securities Trading Policy also provides that no director or executive officer of the Company may hold the Company’s securities in a margin account or pledge the Company’s securities for a loan.

Majority of Independent Directors, and Committees of Independent Directors

The Board of Directors has determined that Mss. Heine and Knight, and Messrs. Bedoya and Kalich, and Dr. Dantzker, who constitute all of our current directors other than Mr. Maharaj, are independent directors in accordance with rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market since none of them is believed to have any relationships that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Mr. Maharaj is not considered independent under the applicable rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market because he serves as an executive officer of the Company.

Each member of the Company’s Audit Committee, Organization and Compensation Committee, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee has been determined, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, to be independent in accordance with the applicable rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

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Committee and Board Meetings

The Company’s Board of Directors has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Organization and Compensation Committee, and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Each committee is composed entirely of independent directors, as currently required under the SEC’s rules and regulations and the Nasdaq listing standards, and each committee is governed by a written charter approved by the Board. These charters form an integral part of our corporate governance policies, and a copy of each charter is available on our website at www.surmodics.com under the caption Investors/Corporate Governance. Ms. Knight, our Board Chair, is a member of our Audit Committee and an ex-officio member of the Organization and Compensation Committee, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, attending and participating at the meetings of those committees. During fiscal 2023, the Board of Directors held ten meetings and the standing committees had the number of meetings noted below. Each director attended (in person or electronically) more than 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board and of the committee(s) on which he or she served in fiscal year 2023. The principal functions of our standing committees are described below.

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Procedures for Shareholder Communications to Directors

Shareholders may communicate directly with the Board of Directors. All communications should be directed to our Corporate Secretary at the address below and should prominently indicate on the outside of the envelope that it is intended for the Board of Directors or for non-management directors. If no director is specified, the communication will be forwarded to the entire Board. Shareholder communications to the Board should be sent to:

Corporate Secretary

Attention: Board of Directors

Surmodics, Inc.

9924 West 74th Street

Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3523

Director Annual Meeting Attendance Policy

The Chair of the Board is expected to attend annual meetings of shareholders and relay relevant shareholder communication to the remainder of the Board. Chair Knight attended the last annual meeting of shareholders, which was held on February 9, 2023.

The Board does not have a formal policy regarding directors’ attendance at the Company’s annual meetings of shareholders. All directors attended the last annual meeting of shareholders.

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Overview

Our Organization and Compensation Committee, or the “Committee”, reviews and approves our executive compensation programs. The following discussion and analysis describes the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to our executive officers, including our named executive officers (“NEOs”), during fiscal 2023. Our NEOs are determined in accordance with SEC rules. For fiscal 2023, our NEOs were:

Executive Summary

The Committee believes our executive compensation programs reflect a strong pay-for-performance philosophy and are well-aligned with the short- and long-term interests of shareholders.

Fiscal 2023 Performance Highlights. We believe that our executive compensation programs are aligned with our performance and the objectives of our compensation philosophy (discussed below), as highlighted by the following factors:

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For a more detailed discussion of our fiscal 2023 results, please refer to the financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 included in our Annual Report.

Fiscal 2023 Executive Compensation Highlights. Highlights of our fiscal 2023 executive compensation program include the following:

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Executive Compensation Governance Highlights. We believe that the following executive compensation-related practices, which were in effect during fiscal 2023, serve our shareholders’ long-term interests:

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our compensation philosophy is performance-based and focuses on aligning the financial interests of our executive officers with those of our shareholders. Generally, this is accomplished by placing a substantial portion of our executive officers’ total compensation “at risk”, while providing overall compensation opportunities that are comparable to market levels. We provide our executive officers with a total compensation opportunity, including cash and equity elements, at levels competitive with those provided by comparable companies and within the middle range of comparative pay at peer companies when the Company achieves the targeted performance levels. Together, these elements provide a balanced focus on both short- and long-term goals, while reinforcing our pay-for-performance philosophy. Specifically, our executive compensation programs are designed to:

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Significant At-Risk Compensation. The charts below illustrate the fiscal 2023 target total compensation pay mix, which consisted of base salary, target incentive opportunity under the fiscal 2023 cash incentive plan, and fiscal 2023 long-term incentive awards (based on grant date fair value) for the Chief Executive Officer and other NEOs. As illustrated below, approximately 81% of our Chief Executive Officer’s and 68% of our other NEOs’ compensation was variable and at-risk.

A key aspect of the design of our annual incentive plan is the requirement that, in order for incentive compensation to be paid, our actual performance must achieve at least the threshold level of performance established for the applicable objectives. In years where our actual performance does not achieve the threshold level for the applicable objectives, no cash incentive compensation is paid. We believe this design reinforces our pay-for-performance philosophy. The table below provides the payouts to our NEOs under our annual incentive plan for each of our past five fiscal years.