Brandeis Innovation Announces 2021 Sprout Program

Brandeis Innovation is pleased to announce the kickoff of its annual Sprout program that supports bench research with grants up to $25,000, funded by the Office of the Provost and Office of Technology Licensing. Teams and individuals working on innovative projects and research within the Division of Science are eligible to apply.

Sprout helps bring scientific research and entrepreneurial ambitions to life by providing seed funding. As an added bonus, recipients will also have the option to choose to participate in our spring cohort of the NSF I-Corps fellowship, which provides training in technology commercialization and a stipend up to $750 for related expenses.

Interested applicants can complete this pre-application form, due on February 19th.

HackMyPhD to be held Thursday, July 26

HackMyPhD is Brandeis’ annual event to showcase the latest opportunities available to science, math, and applied arts graduate students. Students will be exposed to a variety of educational and professional opportunities for growth through funding, networking, and internship and job opportunities.

At the event, students will learn how to apply for SPROUT and NSF I-Corps grants available through Brandeis Innovation. They will be shown current projects of NSF I-Corps Fellows and have the opportunity to network with potential mentors in the private industry and entrepreneurial sectors. Finally, they will get a review of their CV and be able to speak directly to the Brandeis Innovation Center team about available support and resources for their research.

There will be a series of panels during the day, all sharing their professional and personal experiences, giving advice and guidance. Each panelist has been in the shoes of a recent graduate, looking for their next move after their PhD or postdoc. These panelists have succeeded in crafting unique, rewarding careers for themselves and are here to share their wisdom. There is plenty of time to interact with these panelists one on one, with Q&A sessions after every presentation and intimate lunch sessions with the speakers. Many panelists have openings on their research teams, so attending HackMyPhD is a great way for recent PhD graduates to find opportunities post-graduation.

Students will receive a great deal of valuable professional guidance from attending this event. They will get a professional headshot, a review of their CV, and can also discuss possible startup ideas based on their research.

The keynote speech, delivered by Jonathan Thon, PhD, is guaranteed to be illuminating! His talk will revolve around dispelling common myths that surround research-based business. He asserts that working in industry/startups doesn’t mean that industry dictates research; it is actually scientist-driven, and academic integrity is preserved.

HackMyPhD will be a helpful and engaging event that every student should attend! Sign up today: http://www.hackmyphd.org

SPROUT Awards Information Sessions to be held Jan. 24 and Feb. 1

The SPROUT Awards are back! If you are interested in the SPROUT program, which offers funding for bench research, the Office of Technology Licensing is hosting Information Sessions for you to learn more on how to apply. Get your questions answered by the program’s administrators. There will be two separate sessions for your convenience: January 24th, 3-4 PM at Carl J. Shapiro Science Center Library and February 1st, 3-4 PM in Volen 201. Light refreshments will be served.

New this year, SPROUT winners may also be eligible for up to an additional $3,000 of I-Corps funding from the National Science Foundation. This extra funding is specifically earmarked for teams to conduct early customer discovery and validation of their technology. Those that go through the Brandeis I-Corps program then become eligible to apply to the National I-Corps program which provides grants up to $50,000.

In the past, successful SPROUT applications have come from all departments in the sciences including Biology, Biochemistry, Physics, and Chemistry. Past candidates have proposed projects ranging from early-stage research and development to patent-ready projects. Many undergraduates, graduates, staff and faculty have all pitched various projects from a New Strategy to Treat Chronic Infections (Hedstrom Lab) to Development of a New Crystal Screening Chip (Fraden Lab) to a panel of outside judges in the hopes of receiving funding.  Read more about SPROUT and learn about past projects.

Sprout Award Winners Announced

The recipients of the 6th annual Sprout Awards have been announced. There will be eight teams from labs in the Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry departments sharing the $100,000 in funding in FY 2017. The Sprout program’s grant pool was doubled this year in order to expand the support for the promising innovation and research that is happening here at Brandeis University.  The Sprout program, created 6 years with the intent to encourage entrepreneurial activity, is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Hassenfeld Family Innovation Center. It is administered by the university’s Office of Technology Licensing

(read more at Brandeis Now).

 

From bench to clinical trials: the rFIXFc story

BrandeisNOW has a new story about the development of recombinant Factor IX Fc,  a candidate drug for hemophila, currently in Phase III cliniical trials. The story behind the Fc fusion technology started in academic labs including Neil Simister‘s at Brandeis, led to a biotech startup (Syntonix), which was then acquired by Biogen Idec, who are now conducing clinical trials.

For more, see http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2011/june/hemophilia.html