A few days ago, I had the opportunity to participate as “Scientific Facilitator” in the “Exploring the Entrepreneurial Dimensions of Science and Technology” workshop, which was conducted at the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Arizona.
The purpose of the workshop was to familiarize the incoming students into the entrepreneurship program with some of the issues, concerns, and questions they should consider when working in the development of an emerging technology-based venture. Essentially, the workshop allowed the entrepreneurship students to realize that collaborating with scientists on high-tech ventures is, not only feasible, but within their reach.
These ambitious entrepreneurship students are expected to partner with other students and take an idea from conception all the way to a business plan. Those who are interested in biotechnology and drug discovery projects will likely work with a patented idea developed by a University of Arizona faculty member to generate a business plan that can be presented to angels or venture capitalists for funding. Alternatively, these students can start from scratch on an idea or a project that reflects their own knowledge or research interests.
Throughout all the years I have been involved in scientific research, I have been always encouraged to establish mutually beneficial collaborations with other scientists. Recently, however, the importance of another level of mutually beneficial collaboration has been strongly emphasized. It is crucial for scientists, who would like to translate their research from the lab into the marketplace as a drug or an invention, to seek out and rely on those who understand the business to help them develop their scientific ideas and patents into successful companies.
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