I-Corps@NCATS trains clinical and translational science teams to accelerate translation of research innovations into practice

Kathryn Nearing; Julie Rainwater; Stacey Neves; Pamela Bhatti; Bruce Conway; Nathaniel Hafer; Kevin Harter; Nicholas Kenyon; Margaret M McManus; Demetria M McNeal; Elaine H Morrato; Suhrud M Rajguru; Molly Wasko

doi:10.1017/cts.2020.561

I-Corps@NCATS trains clinical and translational science teams to accelerate translation of research innovations into practice

J Clin Transl Sci. 2020 Dec 7;5(1):e66. doi: 10.1017/cts.2020.561.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
² University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
³ School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁴ Robertson Therapeutic Development Fund, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
⁶ Medical Innovation, Penn State University, State College, PA, USA.
⁷ Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
⁸ Division of General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, CO, USA.
⁹ Health Systems Management and Policy, Colorado School of Public Health, Innovation Ecosystem Program, Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
¹⁰ Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹¹ Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Otolaryngology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
¹² Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Faculty Success, Collat School of Business, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: A key barrier to translation of biomedical research discoveries is a lack of understanding among scientists regarding the complexity and process of implementation. To address this challenge, the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps™ (I-Corps™) program trains researchers in entrepreneurship. We report results from the implementation of an I-Corps™ training program aimed at biomedical scientists from institutions funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).

Methods: National/regional instructors delivered 5-week I-Corps@NCATS short courses to 62 teams (150 individuals) across six institutions. Content included customer discovery, value proposition, and validating needs. Teams interviewed real-life customers and presented the value of innovations for specific end-users weekly, culminating in a "Finale" featuring their refined business thesis and business model canvas. Methodology was developed to evaluate the newly adapted program. National mixed-methods evaluation assessed program implementation, reach, effectiveness using observations of training delivery and surveys at Finale (n = 55 teams), and 3-12 months post-training (n = 34 teams).

Results: Innovations related to medical devices (33%), drugs/biologics (20%), software applications (16%), and diagnostics (8%). An average of 24 interviews was conducted. Teams reported increased readiness for commercialization over time (83%, 9 months; 14%, 3 months). Thirty-nine percent met with institutional technology transfer to pursue licensing/patents and 24% pursued venture capital/investor funding following the short courses.

Conclusions: I-Corps@NCATS training provided the NCATS teams a rigorous and repeatable process to aid development of a business model based on customer needs. Outcomes of this pilot program support the expansion of I-Corps™ training to biomedical scientists for accelerating research translation.

Keywords: Innovation Corps (I-Corps); evaluation; innovation; research commercialization; training.

Abstract

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