I-Corps Sites - Type I: Johns Hopkins University I-Corps Site for Viable Startup Creation

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

The intellectual merit of this project at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is that the Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) and its accelerator team, FastForward, will support the commercialization of research and technologies to create an innovation ecosystem at the University, and more broadly, in the Baltimore region. This I-Corps Site award enables JHU to leverage research outcomes by providing teams with an essential stipend for customer discovery and prototyping and the ability to validate and test their hypotheses and confirm through customer discovery whether there is value in their technology in the marketplace. By actually getting out of the lab, researchers gain insights into the mindset of decision makers and the payers who may become their customers. This grant will enable the JHU Site to provide a better learning experience for its participants by providing additional, non-dilutive funds. For example, in the fall of 2015, JHU's Short Course cohort focused on life sciences and brought together teams from universities across the city. The focused approach allowed instructors to delve into the unique challenges faced by researchers commercializing technology in the life sciences space including the development of strategic partnerships and the need for greater evidence based research at a time when the life science industry is investing less in research and development and easing away from the risks of basic and translational research. The I-Corps Site at JHU fills the fundamental educational disconnect between invention and market that is not found inside a lab or classroom but only through customer interviews. The goal of the JHU I-Corps Site will be to advance the knowledge and understanding of the commercial potential of life and basic science research while providing access to the life science expertise of Johns Hopkins to include translation, partnering, and entrepreneurship for the greater National Innovation Network. Participants in the JHU Site include teams from other universities especially those with diverse populations such as University of Maryland Baltimore City, Morgan State University, and Coppin State University, fostering collaboration and economic growth in the city and beyond. Over five years, this grant will impact 150 JHU teams and to a minimum 45 non-JHU teams, each comprised of three team members, for a total of at least 585 participants.