CONWAY -- The Conductor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and BioVentures today announced plans to host the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp next May on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
The second year of the camp is available for undergraduate college students in the state. The camp creates entrepreneurial and interactive learning opportunities for students and guides them through entrepreneurial processes of starting and funding a health sciences venture with their peers.
The residential boot camp will be held May 20-25 at UCA and is all-expenses-paid for accepted students. The camp is funded through UAMS, BioVentures and the Conductor.
Eligible students must have completed their sophomore year of college. Space permitting, spots will be available for immediate graduates and graduate students.
"We're thrilled to partner with the Conductor to offer this camp for the second year," said Nancy Gray, president 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 is a public-private partnership with UCA and Startup Junkie Consulting. It is intended to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development in central Arkansas through high-impact programming, one-on-one consulting, commercialization support, talent development and collaboration.
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. The organization links the health care research minds to global markets to advance Arkansas' scientific and economic development.
"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."
Students in the weeklong boot camp identify problems or opportunities in health care, 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 health care industry. The boot camp coaches the teams through entity filing, intellectual property, creating a sustainable entrepreneurial team and more.
UAMS is the state's only health sciences university and includes a statewide network of regional centers and seven institutes. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state
The camp's inaugural cohort in 2017 had representation from 10 colleges and universities. The camp offers leadership, team-building and other recreational experiences in Conway.
"One of the outstanding outcomes of this camp is the opportunity it gives students to push their limits in a deep, meaningful way," said Kim Lane, chief operating officer of the Conductor. "Not only are they building their social networks with other college students, they are creating a framework that reaches all corners of the state, and taking their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills back to their hometowns -- from north Arkansas to the Delta."
The application period began Saturday. Candidates may apply at https://goo.gl/forms/6lqHQUeCTe25991b2.
The early consideration deadline for the Camp is Feb. 23, 2018. All other applications are due by March 23, 2018.
School on 11/25/2017