About the Evaluation and the Project

Purpose: To evaluate study assessments prior to the main study for clarity of instructions and questions, effective integration with the simulations, and ease of use of the study experience.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:

To be included in this study, you must:

• Be a woman.
• Be a life scientist, student, or trainee in the life sciences with at least three years of college completed.
• Have access to a computer with internet connectivity.
• Be a US resident.

Participants will be excluded from the study if they:

• Have a physical inability to use the electronic device being used in testing.
• Have a physical inability to view the simulations.

Time involved: The intervention plus the assessments take around 40 minutes. We ask that you review two simulations for 10 minutes each and complete pre-assessments (5 minutes) and post-assessments (15 minutes). We ask that you complete the post-assessments within 24 hours of reviewing the simulation.

Questions asked: The assessments ask questions about your science background, business experience, business confidence, interest in entrepreneurship, and plans to start a business.

Privacy: We will not associate your name or other identifying information with your completed forms or data and thus there will be no identifying information in any written reports or publications that result from this project. Your participation will be strictly confidential.

No information is provided to your school, employer, or business associate, and no responses you provide to us will be reported to anyone anywhere, except in the aggregate. Read more about our privacy practices here.

Benefits:  A better understanding of the early stages of what it is like to start a business, the benefits and challenges, and the steps involved. Potentially, inspiration to try starting a business.
Risks: There are no known risks.

Compensation:

• Honorarium: $25 Amazon gift card or food bank donation, to be issued at the end of the study. 
• Bonus Referral: You may also be issued up to $20 total for referrals ($5 per referral who completes this study, up to 4 referrals). 
• Participation and Data: Your participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time. All survey submissions are kept confidential.

Funding:

• Development was funded by grants #’s 1R43 GM131458-01 & 2R GM131458-02) from the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
• Reviewed by the Clinical Tools Institutional Review Board and determined to be exempt and expedited; IRB approval number 2020/001.

Questions? Please contact Karen Rossie rossie@clinicaltools.com, Maripat Metcalf metcalf@clinicaltools.com, or Brad Tanner tanner@clinicaltools.com. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact Mary Metcalf for the Clinical Tools IRB at metcalf@clinicaltools.com.