ASCEnD - A national program of Academic Support and Coaching for Entrepreneurial Development

Medical University Of South Carolina, Charleston SC

Investigators

Abstract

Knowledge and confidence in entrepreneurship are increasingly important skills possessed by those pursuing careers in the biomedical research workforce. Entrepreneurship has emerged as “the most potent economic force” and can be an avenue to increase the number of research innovations that cross the bridge from bench to bedside. However, entrepreneurship training is not currently part of the standard curriculum of graduate or medical schools. Through ASCEnD - A national program of Academic Support and Coaching for Entrepreneurial Development - our goal is to increase innovation and entrepreneurial activities and the number of academic investigators who participate in entrepreneurial activities. One unique aspect of our approach is complementing mentoring with coaching, as coaching has been shown to be four times more effective than training/mentoring alone. Specifically, we will train coaches in behavioral coaching and establish teams of coaches as well as entrepreneurial experts who will serve as mentors. We will enhance entrepreneurial skills through one-on-one and group coaching for researchers. We will train nascent entrepreneurs in topics germane to innovation and entrepreneurship and establish an innovative environment. We will also facilitate institutional change by disseminating our findings via focused communications and interactions among all participants, ultimately establishing an entrepreneurial network. We will leverage the expertise of our Advisory Committee, as well as the commitment and support of our leadership and regional institutions. Our program evaluation will use the RE-AIM framework. We will assess how our program increases the number of investigators who participate in entrepreneurial activities through multi-method program evaluation including assessments of the program’s ability to reach applicants nationally, satisfaction with program offerings, and changes in entrepreneurship outcomes. Evaluations of program activities will be completed using REDCap questionnaires. Validated coaching, entrepreneurial, and satisfaction/experience measures will be utilized. Overall, our approach will increase the number of academic investigators who are entrepreneurs and increase the level of entrepreneurship in the nation, thus building an entrepreneurial workforce. Because the coaching component takes a comprehensive approach by encouraging participants to craft a vision for their work and life, it provides value that will last beyond their current projects and beyond entrepreneurship activities.