The Bench to Bedside 2018-19 season begins this month with a Kick-Off Event on Monday, Sept. 17, and concludes with the Competition Night in April 2019. Top teams are awarded more than $140,000 in prize money to support further project development.
This exciting and vibrant program at the University of Utah introduces multi-disciplinary students to the world of medical, global health innovation. Now in its ninth year, Bench to Bedside has created 232 teams that have invented 229 medical devices, filed 158 patents and launched 64 companies. All students are welcome to participate.
The competition is sponsored by Zions Bank and managed by the U’s Center for Medical Innovation and Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
Student teams form into multidisciplinary groups and are given the task of identifying an unmet clinical need. Teams are given access to over 100 university physicians from a broad area of specialties to serve as their consultants, key opinion leaders and stakeholders.
The teams have six months and a $500 development fund to develop medical device concepts that address their identified need. In that six-month time period, students will have evaluated the intellectual property landscape, prototyped their design and constructed a business plan.
The Bench to Bedside competition launches at the annual Kick-Off Event in Child Hall of the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building on Sept. 17 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Kick-Off outlines and provides information on the six-month program. Speakers will include Dr. Stephen Neeleman, Founder of HealthEquity, Inc., the Executive Director of the Center for Medical Innovation, Dr. John Langell, and the Executive Director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, Troy D’Ambrosio.
This year’s program will feature a Healthcare Professional Pitch Night. Physicians from a wide variety of specialties within the University of Utah will pitch clinical problems and medical device ideas to students. Students will then have a chance to partner with these physicians to create novel medical innovations.
The program culminates in a formal presentation of all team projects at an annual awards competition. The event draws participation from faculty physicians, residents, industry leaders, venture capital firms and university leadership. The team projects are evaluated and scored for business strategy, design quality and healthcare impact by a VIP panel of judges.
Undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds across the state of Utah are invited to come join us in this opportunity to gain valuable experience in healthcare, business and innovation.
Learn more about Bench to Bedside on the program website: http://healthsciences.utah.edu/center-for-medical-innovation/bench-2-bedside/.
Students may also register as a participant directly in the University’s Canvas system here: bit.ly/B2BUtah.
2018-19 Season Timeline
- Kick Off Event: Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building, Child Hall, Sept. 17, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Healthcare Professional Pitch Night: Alumni Hall, Health Science Education Building Sept. 25, 6-9 p.m.
- Team Orientation Night: CMI, Oct. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Workshop #1: Articulate the Opportunity: CMI, Oct. 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Workshop #2: Define the Offering: CMI, Nov. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Meet the Mentor Night: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Nov. 14, 6-9 p.m.
- Spring Semester Events:
- Workshop #3: IP and Regulatory Landscape – CMI, Jan. 17, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Saturday Milestone Review Workshop – CMI, Jan. 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Workshop #4: Go-To-Market Planning – CMI, Feb 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Pre-Comp Workshop I – CMI, Feb. 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Pre-Comp Workshop II – CMI, March 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Competition Night – State Capitol, April
