Arkansas undergraduate and graduate college students interested in learning the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and forming new health science ventures at a residential boot camp at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway have until May 7 to register.
The Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp will be held May 20-25. It is a joint initiative of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Arkansas INBRE, BioVentures, and The Conductor, a public-private partnership with UCA and Startup Junkie. Arkansas IMBRE (IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence) helps build research infrastructure across the state.
The residential camp is all-expenses-paid, and is funded through UAMS, Arkansas INBRE, BioVentures and the Conductor. Eligible students must have completed their sophomore year of college. Space permitting, there will be spots available for immediate graduates and graduate students.
For more information about the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, or to apply, visit www.arconductor.org/bootcamp.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Conductor to offer this camp again this year,” said Nancy Gray, PhD, director of BioVentures. “This camp is integral in creating a statewide, biomedical research infrastructure in Arkansas, and expands the state’s health sciences entrepreneurial network.”
The Conductor drives innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development in central Arkansas through high-impact programming, one-on-one consulting, commercialization support, talent development, and collaboration.
The Boot Camp is an intensive, weeklong program during which students identify problems or opportunities in healthcare, and then work in interdisciplinary student teams to formulate new venture ideas, talk to potential customers, meet with influential faculty, and work closely with mentors from the healthcare industry. The boot camp coaches the teams through everything from entity filing and intellectual property to creating a sustainable entrepreneurial team.
“This camp is emblematic of the Conductor’s mission to foster and nourish entrepreneurial talent within our state,” said Jeff Standridge, chief catalyst for the Conductor. “This camp creates opportunities to show students that there are viable career paths to entrepreneurship, and to introduce them to the vast experts and resources in the state’s health sciences.”
In 2017, the camp’s inaugural class had representation from 10 colleges and universities, empowering students from around the state with the knowledge and tools they need to think critically, learn entrepreneurial principles, and launch innovative ventures. Additionally, the camp offers leadership, team building, and other recreational experiences in Conway.
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 healthcare research minds to global markets to advance Arkansas’ scientific and economic development.