BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is providing grantees of the National Institute of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) with mentoring and training designed to develop and hone their presentation skills as a step toward securing investment dollars and strategic partners. The NIH has awarded BHI a contract to conduct a multi-year effort for NINDS grantees that will boost their business acumen, strengthen their communications skills, and introduce them to additional sources of funding designed to help bring new healthcare products to market.
"Frequently, NINDS grantees are forced to balance their focus between advancing their research and technology objectives into healthcare products and the necessity of procuring funding and building partnerships to drive those advancements. They are truly distinct activities, but progress needs to be made on both fronts to mature projects for commercialization," said Richard Bendis, BHI President & CEO. "By coaching grantees on the best methods to develop and deliver impactful industry presentations and introducing them to investors and strategic partners, we help strengthen the grantees' business perspective and expand their networks."
The ultimate purpose of the program, which will be supplemented with support from Deloitte Consulting, LLP, is for the grantees to become nearly self-sufficient regarding the development of their professional and investor networks at industry events and conferences such as the Biotech Showcase held in San Francisco every January at the JP Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference, the Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference and the Biotechnology Industry Organization Convention. The first cohort of participants recently presented at the Neurotech Investing and Partnering Conference on April 8 at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco to an audience of 150 neuroscience professionals.
"Achieving the NINDS mission to reduce the burden of neurologic disorders and stroke is in large part dependent on translating discoveries from the laboratory to products that will help patients. NINDS works with its grantees to understand and more effectively engage the private sector to advance new diagnostics and therapies," said Rajesh Ranganathan, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Translational Research, NINDS. "BHI's expertise will allow NINDS-supported scientists to identify and bolster investment and partnering opportunities that will provide both short- and long-term benefits."
About BioHealth Innovation, Inc.
BioHealth Innovation, Inc., is an innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant bio-health innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding. BHI is known for providing commercial assistance to scientists and founders, educating and infusing Maryland's life science community with new and young entrepreneurs and connecting young companies to funding and business resources. Learn more at www.biohealthinnovation.org.