About

Not all great ideas are generated, or excellent research is conducted at top universities and institutes. When it happens elsewhere, the researchers involved are often less able to acquire capital or the means to commercialize their innovations due to their institutional affiliation. Smaller, less-established universities face numerous challenges attracting venture capital investment for their researchers' spin-off and student-led startups. The panel will focus on the issues facing small and mid-sized colleges, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion issues facing researchers who are not well-represented in academic spin-off activities. Panelists will include speakers from states that were once left behind in their biosciences sector but have made significant improvements in developing their bioscience and biomaterial commercialization successes and have strategically positioned themselves in niche areas. Other impediments posed by regulatory requirements and potential issues with ethics, scientific integrity, and inclusion during biomaterials research, development, and commercialization will be addressed.