Unique collaboration helps biomedical researchers grow their entrepreneurial skills

Biomedical researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina can hone their entrepreneurial skills thanks to an innovative new course that provides them an opportunity to gain real-world experience in transforming biomedical innovations into products and services. The course is a collaboration between the College of Graduate Studies (CGS), the MUSC Foundation for Research Development (FRD) and industry experts skilled in each of the course’s content areas. VentureSouth, an angel-funding platform, has provided content that will help teach students how to interact with investors and will also expose them to entrepreneurship in action.

“This entrepreneurship course reflects our commitment to preparing our trainees for a changing biomedical landscape and to ensuring that they have the skills to work across disciplines and take bold chances to make a difference.” -- Dr. Paula Traktman, dean of the College of Graduate Studies

The “Entrepreneurship in the Biomedical Space” course grew out of a CGS initiative led by dean of the college, Paula Traktman, Ph.D., and associate dean Cynthia Wright, Ph.D., and funded by Burroughs Wellcome Fund. 

 “This entrepreneurship course reflects our commitment to preparing our trainees for a changing biomedical landscape and to ensuring that they have the skills to work across disciplines and take bold chances to make a difference,” said Traktman.

 

 

This certificate-based program offers online classes and networking sessions that will cut to the heart of entrepreneurship in the biomedical space. Due to the pandemic, sessions are currently online, but a mix of in-person and online sessions are planned for the future, with options for both local and non-local students. The curriculum includes sessions on intellectual property, company building, regulatory requirements and reimbursement, agreements and financing. 

 

The innovative course draws on the unique strengths of each of the collaborators. The CGS brings an unwavering commitment to the training of biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. MUSC FRD provides expert knowledge of intellectual property and the technology development process. Finally, industry partners bring real-world expertise in each of the content areas. VentureSouth brings to the table its funding and capital expertise. 

“I am very excited that VentureSouth, with their expertise in investment funding and focus on entrepreneurship education, will provide course content on how entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas so as to engage, excite and convince investors,” said Scott Davis, Ph.D., FRD director of technology and commercialization.

VentureSouth and MUSC have also agreed to hold VentureSouth Charleston’s monthly meetings at MUSC to help to introduce members of the MUSC enterprise to entrepreneurship in action. In the short-term, COVID-19 has prevented in-person meetings, but VentureSouth is pushing forward with monthly virtual meetings and will resume in-person meetings as soon as safely possible. 

 

The ultimate goal of this unique collaboration is to offer this cohesive curriculum to trainees across South Carolina and beyond, thereby creating a climate in which new biomedical technologies can move more quickly to the patient. 

For more information, please visit the course website. If you have any questions, please email Scott Davis at davissco@musc.edu.