Faculty Seminar Focuses on Helping Graduate Students Find Commercial Success

A seminar offered today by Startup Junkie's Ellen Brune will help faculty set their graduate students on a path to commercial success. The seminar is part of the Science Venture Primer Partnership, a program of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation that brings together a half-dozen U of A offices and Startup Junkie to provide faculty, staff and graduate students with skills to broaden the external impact of university research. 

Brune developed the seminar to meet the needs of graduate students who see a commercial future for their skills and research.

"Not all graduate students will continue on to a life in academia, and many of those that do still want to share their discoveries commercially," said Brune. "This seminar will help faculty support their students in a path that may be very different from their own."

The seminar is set for 11 a.m. in Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, 731 W. Dickson Street, conference room. Attendees can learn more or register here. Future programs in the Science Venture Primer Partnership include: 

• Demand Driven Innovation, Sept. 17 and Oct. 3 — led by Cynthia Sides, director of industry engagement
• Broader Impacts Equal Commercial Potential, Sept. 25 — led by Ellen Brune, liaison for economic development for the U of A-Startup Junkie Science Venture Primer Partnership
• Lean Business Canvas, Oct. 1 — led by Carol Reeves, vice chancellor for entrepreneurship and innovation
• Communicating Science to the public, Oct. 10 and Oct. 23 — led by Sarah Goforth, director of outreach for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• NSF SBIR Drafting, Oct. 22 and Nov. 14 — led by Ellen Brune, liaison for economic development for the U of A-Startup Junkie Science Venture Primer Partnership
• Navigating Conflict of Interest, Nov. 5 — led by Stacy Leeds, vice chancellor for economic development
• The Patent Process: From Invention Disclosure to Notice of Allowance, Nov. 7 and Nov. 13 — led by David Hinton, associate director of Technology Ventures