Funding
Business Encounters: Life Scientist is being developed by Clinical Tools, Inc (CTI) with funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Grants #1 R43 GM131458-01 and 2R44AA026474). We gratefully acknowledge this support, which was the sole funding source for this project’s development.
No Industry Support
All materials on this website were developed in an industry-fund-free environment. No industry funding was used to create this website or these educational activities.
Purpose
The Business Encounters: Life Scientist experience uniquely helps women graduate students and early-career researchers in biotechnology and other life sciences explore the option of forming a biostartup business. It will support women scientists learn what it takes to form a biostartup and help build their confidence in taking this option.
Target Audience
Women life sciences graduate students, post-docs, and early-stage life science researchers with a minimal level of entrepreneurial self-awareness, interest, and confidence are the main target audience. Early entrepreneurs and more established researchers will also benefit from the information provided. Other scientists and entrepreneurs may also benefit from the information presented.
What does this site include in “Life Sciences” and “Biotechnology”?
We use the term “Life Sciences” loosely to include agriculture, biological sciences, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, immunology, medical devices, microbiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, toxicology, pharmaceutics, and any other sciences in the biotechnology and biomedical industries. We use the term “biotechnology” to talk about the business applications of these sciences.
Focus
Based on the results of a needs analysis with both the target audience and women biotechnology entrepreneurs at various career stages, our focus is on issues they identified as important for women scientists to build sufficient confidence and understanding to consider careers as biotechnology entrepreneurs, including communications skills, obtaining funding, starting a business, financial skills, and protecting intellectual property. We also emphasize concerns common for women in the industry.
Impact
Business Encounters: Life Scientist use simulations, cases, introductory level information, and curated resources selected to increase entrepreneurial intent and self-efficacy in the target audience. The impact varies with career stage from raising awareness of early-career scientists that entrepreneurship is a potential career path that other women have navigated successfully, to guiding scientists who have more intention and confidence stages in the steps they would need to take to launch a business that translates their research ideas into products. The simulated brief scenarios, inspirational stories, case examples, summaries of key information, and curated resources are packaged as brief experiences that can be completed in short time segments that do not take time away from time-critical and demanding bench work or other tasks, including grant writing.
Dissemination
Clinical Tools, and its gaming division Health Impact Studio, strives to share knowledge gained through the testing and use of its products. You can see our latest conference presentations, as well as our published research articles, at the Health Impact Studio site.
Plans
During our continued development, we will be focusing Business Encounters: Life Scientist on simulating the common steps a life scientist may encounter when pursuing entrepreneurship. Through these simulated experiences, life scientists can learn about the entrepreneurial process and gain confidence in pursuing their ideas in the business world.
After completion of the project, we envision that Business Encounters: Life Scientist will be sold to entrepreneurial support organizations both inside and outside the university community, providing a digital support tool for inspiring early career life scientists to consider entrepreneurship as a career path or to guide life scientists interested in pursuing entrepreneurship with their ideas. This source of revenue will support any ongoing work needed to refine the product and allow free use for life scientists through their organizations.
Have questions or suggestions?
Mary P. Metcalf, PhD, MPH
Leadership & Training Expertise (CoPI)
Dr. Mary Metcalf brings her training and experience as a woman in leadership to this project. Her Masters in Leadership (MPH) is combined with 20 years as a small business leader, service on the boards of 3 non-profits (including as President), and leadership roles in advisory board for local government and school districts.
Karen Rossie, DDS, PhD, MS
Life Scientist turned Mentor/ Coach (CoPI)
Karen Rossie, DDS, PhD, MS is a dentist with a Masters in Pathology and PhD in Psychology. Before working at CTI, she taught and conducted medical research for 13 years at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine. Through these experiences, she developed an understanding of the concerns facing women biomedical researchers.
Bradley Tanner, MD, ME, MBA
Entrepreneur/ Small Business Owner (CoPI, Contact PI)
Bradley Tanner, MD, ME is a psychiatrist and Studio Head of Health Impact Studio. In this role, he guides the development and evaluation of novel technological solutions to address health challenges including burnout, stress, and depression seen in medical students, residents, and practicing physicians in their early and later careers.
