The Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron and the University of Akron are planning to launch in January a semester-long educational program aimed at women entrepreneurs.
In addition to an entrepreneurial curriculum, the program will provide participants with access to experts, coaching by successful entrepreneurs, contact with cutting-edge technology and support in forming companies and licensing ideas, according to a statement from the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA).
The basis of the program will be two-person teams, which will be created by matching participants with interests in the biomedical or alternative energy industries with those pursuing Master’s of Business dministration degrees.
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Each team will work during the spring semester on their projects by creating a business plan, exploring viability in the marketplace and completing the steps for a new technology venture to create a new business or licensable technology. The goal is to have a business launched or technology licensed within 18 to 24 months, according to the statement.
“The goal is to provide hands-on experience with the technology commercialization process in taking a great idea, exploring it in the real world and then moving forward to start and grow a company,” said Ravi Krovi, interim dean of the University of Akron’s College of Business Administration.
Funding for the program comes from a $1 million grant to the ABIA and University of Akron from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The grant came out of a federal competition designed to reward regional collaboration on innovation.
The project’s organizers hope to recruit 14 women to participate. An application is available at the ABIA’s website.
