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Abstract
A key barrier to translation of biomedical research discoveries is a lack of understanding among scientists regarding the complexity and process of implementation. To address this challenge, the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps™ (I-Corps™) program trains researchers in entrepreneurship. We report results from the implementation of an I-Corps™ training program aimed at biomedical scientists from institutions funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). National/regional instructors delivered 5-week I-Corps@NCATS short courses to 62 teams (150 individuals) across six institutions. Content included customer discovery, value proposition, and validating needs. Teams interviewed real-life customers and presented the value of innovations for specific end-users weekly, culminating in a "Finale" featuring their refined business thesis and business model canvas. Methodology was developed to evaluate the newly adapted program. National mixed-methods evaluation assessed program implementation, reach, effectiveness using observations of training delivery and surveys at Finale (n = 55 teams), and 3-12 months post-training (n = 34 teams). Innovations related to medical devices (33%), drugs/biologics (20%), software applications (16%), and diagnostics (8%). An average of 24 interviews was conducted. Teams reported increased readiness for commercialization over time (83%, 9 months; 14%, 3 months). Thirty-nine percent met with institutional technology transfer to pursue licensing/patents and 24% pursued venture capital/investor funding following the short courses. I-Corps@NCATS training provided the NCATS teams a rigorous and repeatable process to aid development of a business model based on customer needs. Outcomes of this pilot program support the expansion of I-Corps™ training to biomedical scientists for accelerating research translation.
Highlights
A key barrier to translation of biomedical research discoveries is a lack of understanding among scientists regarding the complexity and process of implementation
The relatively more junior member of the team served as the “entrepreneurial lead” who assumed the primary responsibility for coordinating and conducting customer discovery interviews, presenting key insights and implications for the team’s value proposition, and investing the significant time necessary to capitalize on the momentum created during the Innovation Corps (I-Corps)@National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) training
Teams were pursuing diverse innovations, including the development of medical devices (33%), drugs/biologics (20%), software applications (16%), research service innovations (9%), diagnostics (8%), or other products such as educational innovations/services (11%)
Summary
A key barrier to translation of biomedical research discoveries is a lack of understanding among scientists regarding the complexity and process of implementation. We report results from the implementation of an TM I-Corps training program aimed at biomedical scientists from institutions funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The goal of the supplement was to develop and disseminate a training modeled on the TM National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Innovation Corps (I-Corps ) program [1,2]. The. I-Corps@NCATS program aimed to engage clinical and translational researchers in the designing-for-dissemination and commercialization process from idea generation to practical (market) application. I-Corps@NCATS provided teams of biomedical researchers, clinicians, and engineers across the career arc from undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students to senior scientists with entrepreneurial training to accelerate the translation of research discoveries into clinical and community-based practice.
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