Article courtesy of CLIC - Center for Innovation & Collaboration
In the recent Journal of Clinical and Translational Sciences (JCTS) , institutions showcase their experience, approaches, and findings in the area of innovation and academic entrepreneurship. Translating innovations into improved human health reflects NCATS’ mission and the goals of the CTSA Program. Through the CTSA Program, hubs work tirelessly to turn local discoveries into widespread innovations to accelerate the pace of clinical and translational science. Making sure these innovative approaches are leveraged is part of academic entrepreneurship: as Dr. Robert Kimberly pointed out in this issue of JCTS, “there are now vibrant bottom-up efforts at many such academic health centers to grow an academic culture that values entrepreneurship and innovation.”
A Homegrown Program: I-Corps@NCATS
One of the papers in the JCTS thematic issue highlights the . The CTSA program has played a significant role by supporting the creation and dissemination of I-Corps@NCATS, an experiential short course modeled after the I-Corps at NIH and NSF programs. The program bridges the knowledge gap between academic research skills and innovation and entrepreneurship skills to help academic researchers, trainees and clinicians understand the pathways for translating fundamental discoveries in life sciences via commercialization to ultimately benefit human health.
Currently, there are 18 participating CTSA Hubs across the nation offering the I-Corps@NCATS curriculum, including 9 nodes involved in the original adaptation of the program as highlighted in the JCTS article, with another 4 CTSA Hubs being trained in the upcoming year. Since the program began in 2018 through the end of 2021, 181 teams and 446 individuals have participated in an I-Corps@NCATS program. Longitudinal data on 62 teams participating in years 2018-2019 show that 9 of the participating teams went on to form a company around their research innovation, 7 have been awarded SBIR-STTR grants and 9 have received follow-on funding.
The program expects to see a similar pattern of outcomes in the future as longitudinal data on teams from 2020-2021 will be collected. Many of the articles in the JCTS thematic issue highlight additional team outcomes, as well as best practices for developing a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem around life sciences.
Participating CTSA Hubs
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For more information about I-Corps@NCATS:
How to contact I-Corps at NCATS?
Molly Wasko, PhD
CCTS Executive Council Member
UAB Collat School of Business Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Faculty Success
UAB I-Corps Program Director
mwasko@uab.edu
205-934-8806
Swathi Thaker, PhD
CCTS Program Manager
snthaker@uab.edu