Scientific Founders Program

Program Dates: January 22^nd – 26^th, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET daily
Location: Toronto, ON. Venue to be announced.

Curriculum Includes: 

• From ideas to success – What does it take?
• Intellectual property
• Scientific & clinical validation
• Competition / putting a team together
• Regulatory process and approvals – regenerative medicine
• Incorporation & corporate structure strategies
• Business plans, budgeting & financial forecasting
• Financing
• Canadian sources of non-dilutive funding
• Developing people and the team
• Entrepreneurial execution and team development
• Licensing – terms, mechanics, and negotiations
• Commercializing university technology
• Presentations and communications
• Market analysis, sales, reimbursement
• Entrepreneurial lessons learned

• Complete the application form here by 11:59 p.m. (sender’s time), November 6^th, 2023.
• SCN Management and/or the SCN Training & Education Committee will review all complete applications, and applicants will be informed of the competition outcome by mid-November. Notification of acceptance for successful applicants will include details on booking travel and accommodation which must be completed by mid-December.

• This program is for committed and driven researchers (e.g. Principal Investigators (PIs), post-docs, or senior PhD students) in regenerative medicine who aspire to become entrepreneurs and company founders, and/or who have taken early steps towards company creation.
• Any Canadian-based stem cell or regenerative medicine researchers interested in commercialization are encouraged to apply. If you don’t currently have a business idea, please create one for the purposes of the application form and to develop during the program. Applicants who are considering raising dilutive funds from Angel Investors or Venture Capitalists within the next 1-2 years may be prioritized for participation if the number of applications exceeds the number of available places.
• As part of the application form, lead applicants (i.e. company founders) can nominate one team member/HQP (co-founder) to also join the program as part of their team. Applications comprised of teams may be prioritized for participation.

• The SCN award will cover travel expenses associated with attending the workshop, for those not based in Toronto, ON, including:
  • Travel to/from the workshop location
  • Meals not provided during the workshop
  • Accommodation during the workshop, beginning the night before the course with departure on the day after the workshop.
• Reimbursement will be processed following the workshop, in accordance with the SCN Travel Booking & Reimbursement Policy (policy will be provided to successful applicants).
• Spaces are limited for this workshop. SCN will cover the registration costs (paid directly to the organizers) of this workshop for applicants who attend all sessions. For applicants who accept a spot in the workshop but fail to attend all the sessions, a fee of $1000 will be charged to cover the costs associated with delivering this training opportunity.
• By accepting a spot in this workshop, the recipient(s) agree(s) to complete a survey describing the value of the training and networking opportunities made available through the award. This information will be used at SCN’s discretion on its website, newsletters and for the purpose of reporting to their funding agencies. By registering for this workshop, attendees also accept to have their pictures taken during workshop and used in materials as described above. Please note that expense reimbursements will be processed only once the completed survey is received.

OBIO® is a membership-based organization engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to further the commercialization of Canada’s human health science companies. OBIO supports the commercialization of early-stage and venture backed health science companies enabling them to raise capital, build the workforce and accelerate adoption. OBIO’s H2BB Program has been delivering industry specific training since 2017 to support the growth of the health science ecosystem in Canada through the development of talent.