Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Sign-up Deadline Feb. 24
| Arkansas college students interested in learning the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and forming new health science ventures have until Feb. 24 to register for early consideration for a residential boot camp at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway. All other applications are due March 24.
The residential camp is all expenses paid and funded through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), BioVentures, Arkansas INBRE and the Conductor, a public-private partnership. Eligible students must have completed their sophomore year of college. Space permitting, there will be spots available for immediate graduates and graduate students.
Held from May 19-24, the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp recently won a national Innovations in Research and Research Education Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
For more information about the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, visit the webpage, watch the 2018 Boot Camp video and hear the student testimonies from the 2017 Camp here. To apply to participate, visit goo.gl/forms/NrniFz3RTjgTON5o2.
“This camp is a proven success, and we have seen tremendous outcomes from the program,” said Nancy Gray, Ph.D., president of BioVentures. “In less than three years, we’ve seen this Boot Camp go from a concept to a nationally award-winning program, and we’re so excited about collaborating to make these learning opportunities available to students in 2019.”
At the Boot Camp, students from around the state convene on the UCA campus for one week for an intensive, hands-on training program in which they work in teams to develop and vet new venture ideas in the health sciences. The students receive a crash course in new venture creation, patent filing, building an entrepreneurial team, funding a venture and more. The curriculum also offers leadership and recreational opportunities to the students.
“This boot camp is an amazing course that empowers students to think entrepreneurially and start their own ventures,” said Kim Lane, CEO of the Conductor. “Every year, we see this camp have a transformational impact in students’ lives — it teaches them to see the world differently and think critically about problems in the health sciences space. For many students, this is their first foray into entrepreneurship. This type of training has the power to change the trajectory of students’ postgraduate careers.”
Boot camp alumni have received numerous accolades in entrepreneurship. Two student teams that graduated from the 2017 class went on to compete in the 2017 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup collegiate business plan competition. One team won the first-place prize of $25,000, and the other won the Undergraduate Innovation Award at the competition. An alumni team also participated in the Regional I-Corps program in Austin, Texas, following the boot camp.
The boot camp is a joint initiative of UAMS, BioVentures, Arkansas INBRE and The Conductor, a partnership with UCA and Startup Junkie Consulting that provides high-impact programming, one-on-one consulting, commercialization support, talent development and collaboration. Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) works to broaden the geographic distribution of National Institutes of Health Funding (NIH) for biomedical and behavioral research.
BioVentures is a technology commercialization organization and startup incubator focused on promoting a biomedical technology industry for Arkansas and translating research into products that benefit human health. BioVentures links the health care research minds to global markets in order to advance Arkansas’ scientific and economic development.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health and Healthcare Innovation. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.