In February 2020, project teams funded through Round 1 of HTAF’s Confidence in Concept Award attended an intensive strategy and networking event hosted by the California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI) at their Bay Area Offices.
This brought together the HTAF project teams (encompassing PhD students, early career researchers, clinicians and senior academics) alongside over 30 seasoned professionals, from the Bay Area and beyond, with expertise in a range of areas related to healthcare technology commercialisation (medtech, biotech, regulatory pathways, funding, legal/I.P., CEOs/CTOs, marketing). The project teams received feedback on their technology and proposed developmental/commercialisation plans from panels of advisors drawn from CLSI’s extensive network of industry leaders, clinical experts and business professionals.
Each team had a full day review and developmental/strategy discussion focused on the technology they had developed via their Confidence in Concept funding. The feedback and advice they received was invaluable in ensuring that the projects within the HTAF CiC portfolio develop in a way that maximises the chances of successful future translation, commercialisation and adoption. Key outputs included identification of new IP, support for company formation, exploration of developmental paths, and, crucially, the identification of experts that will support projects in moving forward after CiC support. The cohort nature of the training and mentorship also served to train the researchers and clinicians in entrepreneurship, with whole-group sessions on technology licensing, intellectual property, spinning out companies, and how to move beyond academia.
New ideas were generated, and new friends made, in a truly inspiring environment for entrepreneurship