Innovation Fellowship—Novel Postdoctoral Training to Build a Pipeline of Innovation-Minded Professionals and Promote Commercialization in Academic Units

The Biointerfaces Institute (BI) at the University of Michigan (U-M) is rooted in the mission to advance biomedical discoveries by disrupting the status quo of isolated science and fostering cross-disciplinary technological breakthroughs in nanotechnology, advanced materials, cell engineering, and neural engineering. By co-locating 28 research groups from twelve departments across the U-M schools of Engineering, Dentistry, Medicine, and Pharmacy, forward-thinking collaborations lead to healthcare breakthroughs and advanced learning. To further accelerate the path from basic research to real-world health outcomes, the BI has created a novel postdoctoral fellowship to train the next generation of scientists in commercialization and translation. The Innovation Fellowship provides a blueprint for biomedical research units to train and mentor individuals in a systematic manner that encourages out-of-the-box thinking, experiential learning that supports commercialization efforts, and enhances the network of innovation leaders.<br/>The Innovation Fellowship focuses on five main objectives, with the help of its strategic partners, to develop the Fellows’ professional competencies in translation and commercialization. Fellows will receive (1) Innovation & Entrepreneurship Training, (2) Networking and Mentorship, (3) Professional Development Opportunities, and engage in (4) Technology Assessment and (5) Facilitate Project Development at all stages of the commercialization pipeline. In January 2022, BI launched the first of its kind Innovation Fellowship with Dr. Dylan Neale and Dr. Anastasia Visheratina as the inaugural cohort Fellows. During the term, fellows are trained to become a champion of innovation and translation at BI, advance BI’s commercialization resources, and collaborate with BI research groups to uncover new projects with commercialization potential. They also engage with stakeholders to understand the opportunities and challenges of potential innovations as well as work with BI teams to advance projects.<br/>Collectively, the Innovation Fellowship is creating a new pipeline of scientifically trained individuals and developing them as commercialization thought leaders to advance precision medicine, detect diseases earlier, restore body function, and improve drug delivery. In my talk, I will give a thorough overview of the Innovation Fellowship, our results, and its influence on my career development.