THE RISE of industries that deal heavily with science has created a greater demand for scientifically trained managers and entrepreneurs. Businesses have a growing need to hire employees with both scientific expertise and business skills to manage complex projects. The Journal of Commercial Biotechnology identifies cross-disciplinary training as one of the highest educational priorities for universities educating future bioentrepreneurs.
Creighton University’s interdisciplinary Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program (BEP), funded by a National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation grant, began in February 2008 with 16 undergraduate and graduate students from law, health sciences, arts and sciences and business programs. One of only a handful of bioentrepreneurship programs in the country and unique in that it includes undergraduates, the program trains students from these four key disciplines in the process of technology commercialization in the biosciences.
“We need more graduates with expertise in science, math and technology who can translate that knowledge into business opportunities, and Creighton is in a unique position to meet this important need"“Our bioscience entrepreneurship program addresses a serious issue,” said Anthony Hendrickson, Ph.D., Creighton University College of Business dean. “We need more graduates with expertise in science, math and technology who can translate that knowledge into business opportunities, and Creighton is in a unique position to meet this important need. Not only does Creighton feature a law school, college of business, and a full range of health sciences degree programs, we also are small enough to collaborate across disciplines, which the NSF found very attractive in reviewing our grant proposal. A key emphasis of our program is on developing leadership and teaming skills across disciplines.”
Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program Classes and Internships
Along with two project-based courses (bioscience technology commercialization and bioscience entrepreneurship), Creighton’s Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program requires the completion of a paid summer internship in an environment that relates these academic disciplines to each other and to the world of practice. Over the last two years, BEP students have completed internships in a variety of settings, including the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University technology transfer offices, local bioscience start-ups, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and regional IP law firms. Typically, these internships are funded by the organizations that employ the student interns.
Creighton University, a Jesuit institution, is consistently ranked as the top master’s-granting university in the Midwest by U.S. News and World Report. To this end, Creighton’s top academic programs include medical, dental, nursing, therapy, and pharmacy schools and a teaching hospital (Creighton University Medical Center), along with a law school and colleges of arts and science and business.
