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October 29, 2024 | Tom Ballard

U News | Rice University launches a pioneering biotech venture creation studio

East Carolina University rebrands its eighth annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge thanks to a generous donor's gift.

From Rice University:

In what is described as a bold move to transform patient care, Rice University has launched RBL LLC, a pioneering biotech venture creation studio designed to rapidly build companies based on lifesaving medical technologies developed out of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, the university’s biotech innovation accelerator. The Rice Biotech Launch Pad, established last year, will continue to provide RBL with fully developed and de-risked technologies from Rice’s life sciences portfolio, serving as a steady pipeline of innovation for new ventures.

RBL’s mission is to fast-track the journey “from bench to bedside” by leveraging a large portfolio of more than 100 patents from Rice faculty, bringing together world-class scientists and engineers with experienced business executives to launch multiple companies in a thriving biotech innovation environment.

Located in Houston’s Texas Medical Center Helix Park, RBL bridges the gap between academic biotech discoveries and the clinical care market. RBL’s location within the TMC provides greater opportunity to collaborate with premier clinical centers, corporate partners and global investors — all within the same complex — to rapidly bring groundbreaking therapies to patients by directly transforming Rice’s most promising life science technology into high-impact ventures, company leaders said.

From Cornell University:

Rev: Ithaca Start-up Works has incubated more than 117 businesses and its member companies have created 849 new jobs, raised $205 million in capital, and generated more than $123 million in revenue, according to data released to mark the downtown business incubator’s 10-year anniversary.

Administered by Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, a division of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, Rev helps start-ups launch and grow with dedicated workspace, personalized mentorship, and entrepreneurial education opportunities.

“Rev was created with the goal of not just being a place for entrepreneurs to work but one where Rev is a home for area entrepreneurship,” Rev director Ken Rother said. “A house has walls, a roof, stuff and people inside while a home has a spirit, a vibe and a feeling that is evident to everyone who sets foot in Rev.”

Rev had six member companies when then-President David Skorton established it with Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College in 2014.

“Over the last 10 years, Rev member companies originating from Cornell as well as from the community at large have changed the landscape for local entrepreneurship by making Ithaca their home and adding jobs to the local economy,” Rother said. “When a town gets a company of 30 or 40 people, that’s a huge deal. It’s important to us that Ithaca is successful.”

As Ithaca’s only off-campus incubator, Rev provides a launchpad for all entrepreneurs, from community members with business ideas to researchers commercializing their lab innovations to Cornellians looking to start businesses in the area.

From East Carolina University:

The University’s eighth annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge kicked off last week, but this year, it’s going by a new name, and it’s all thanks to a generous multi-million dollar donation.

As more than 70 student teams were setting up their projects to present their innovative ideas for products and services on East Carolina University’s (ECU) mall, leaders from the Miller School of Entrepreneurship gathered inside the Isley Innovation Hub to unveil the challenge’s new name: The Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge.

The challenge was named thanks to a generous $3.2 million donation from Helen Aman and her family, honoring her husband, entrepreneur, and ECU alum Gene, who worked for 40 years with Golden Corral’s parent company.

“When you have an institution that’s so invested in providing a good return on investment, it’s a place people want to give back to,” said Chancellor Dr. Philip Rogers. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be able to honor his name through one of the great challenges on our campus.”

The challenge has awarded more than $900,000 in prizes and services to more than 25 teams since 2017. When the final round concludes in April, it will top $1 million.

From the University of Maryland Eastern Shore:

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) in the lower level of the Frederick Douglass Library at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is now officially open. It’s the place where aspiring entrepreneurs at UMES and in the local community can go to receive help in creating their next big idea.

The university in July became the fifth Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to be designated as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It is the only one of its kind on the entire Delmarva Peninsula, the next closest is the Eastern Regional headquarters in Alexandria, VA.

Adding the PTRC was a natural progression for the CEI which in the past hosted trademark boot camps for entrepreneurs. At these events “they can come in with an idea and by the end of the day ready to file their trademark application,” said Dr. Pamela Allison, endowed chair of the CEI. “As we were preparing for a patent bootcamp, we were approached with the idea about being a PTRC, and it went from there.”

PTRCs are part of the U.S. Patent Office’s mission “to locally support intellectual property needs of the public by providing a human touch,” according to its website. UMES joins three other HBCUs — Southern University and A&M College, Prairie View A&M, and South Carolina State University — that received this recognition in the past year. Howard University, which earned the designation first among HBCUs, has participated in the program since 1986.

From Hofstra University:

Last week, the Frank G. Zarb School of Business launched the inaugural Bioscience Business Innovation Program (BBIP), a groundbreaking initiative in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). The two-week immersive program is designed to equip students with the business acumen necessary to bring their cutting-edge research from the lab to the marketplace. The BBIP aligns with the University’s strategic plan, and the goal to further interdisciplinary and new academic programs.

“The Bioscience Business Innovation Program is a testament to the innovative spirit at Zarb. It’s the first of its kind, and it reflects our commitment to providing interdisciplinary education that allows scientists to unlock the commercial potential of their research,” said Dean Janet Lenaghan, Zarb School of Business. “Through hands-on experiences with our innovative technology and direct interaction with business leaders, these scientists are gaining the tools they need to transform groundbreaking discoveries into market-ready products.”

As part of the first cohort, 10 Ph.D. scientists and postdoctoral scholars from CSHL are participating in the unique program, which aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and business strategy. Participants are not only gaining practical business knowledge but also learning how to translate their research into viable products and services that can have a tangible impact on society.

 



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