NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region Executive Director Jonathan Fay explained the importance of innovation and commercialization education and discussed some common misconceptions on the MedTech Crossroads webinar series on Jan. 21.
The webinar series, hosted by in2being Managing Director Gene Parunak, explores moving MedTech development projects and communities forward through conversations with investors, startups, manufacturers, community organizations, and more.
This month’s webinars focussed on the relationship between MedTech innovation and education. Fay noted in the webinar that one of the major misconceptions about the intersection of the two industries, especially when it comes to I-Corps, is that the startup route is the only path to commercializing innovations.
“A lot of people think about commercialization education as really about startups,” said Fay. “My philosophy is that startup is just a tool, it is a type of commercialization. It is certainly not the only way to commercialize something.”
In fact, according to Fay, one of the most common outcomes of commercialization or innovation education, like I-Corps, is that the teams, made up of researchers, PhD students, and post-docs, are hired by other companies.
“When I think about how to make an impact and how to make a difference, it is really about making sure the people coming out of the university get into the right spots in the economy where they can add the most value and their knowledge can be useful,” Fay explained.
For more insights on the I-Corps program and commercialization and innovation education, view the full 1-hour conversation. To learn more about the I-Corps program and how it can help you increase the impact of your research, visit www.greatlakesicorps.org.
About the NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region
The NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region is part of the National Innovation Network, a national network of NSF-funded researchers from I-Corps Teams and Hubs. Working together, this network of thinkers addresses America’s need for innovation education. To achieve the goal of creating a collaborative network across the region, the Great Lakes Regional I-Corps Hub leverages resources and expertise from each university and hosts world-class training programs for scientists and engineers.
