SBIR-STTR Award

OpenPipe Simulation Experience to Enhance Entrepreneurial Intent and Self-efficacy Next-generation advances from genomics to immunotherapy depend upon a pipeline that commercializes research findings, typically through biomedical startups. That pipeline depends upon life scientists who account for the majority of biomedical startups1. In 2016, women accounted for 51.8% of new PhDs in biological and agricultural sciences2, yet barriers in the pipeline limit access for women and minorities3–7. Our OpenPipe solution supports the development of entrepreneurial intent and confidence for a diverse pool of post-doc or funded investigators so they can enter the pipeline and achieve commercial success8,9. The OpenPipe Unity-based experience starts with an exploration of perceived barriers and strengths to identify 8-12 scenarios likely to impact entrepreneurial intent and self-efficacy. The scientist then proceeds step-wise through the 8-12 scenarios with every scenario including: 1. “pre-flight” activity to tailor and customize the simulation, 2. simulation adapted to their situation and designed to be both challenging and entertaining 3. debriefing experience to summarize the experience and solidify lessons learned. At the conclusion, the software assembles the debriefings into a summary of the current strengths and factors that the scientist should address before pursuing an entrepreneurial pathway. For example, a recent post-doc with a promising advance in a biomarker or assay may identify a need to find a partner or a mentor, obtain institutional support, acquire business skills or training, complete additional research, lessen academic obligations, or identify an angel adviser or investor. Theories of entrepreneurial intent10,11 and entrepreneurial planned behavior12–17 guide product design. In a safe and private environment, scientists explore the barriers, implications, and opportunities for a business career path that utilizes their advanced skills and talents. Life scientists identify impediments, assess their entrepreneurial readiness18,19, build entrepreneurial self-efficacy20,21, practice skills, learn from role models, and develop business team-building skills. OpenPipe aligns with NIH‘s strategic plan for commercialization22, prepares users to take better advantage of programs such as NIH’s I-Corps23, and potentially provides substantial health impact. Clinical Tools and the investigators bring training, simulation, technology and research skills to the task of creating OpenPipe. Phase I demonstrates the feasibility of OpenPipe. It completes design starting with a needs analysis, formative development of a single-scenario prototype, and usability evaluation. Phase II will complete the full experience and a summative evaluation. It will measure impact on 1. entrepreneurial intention24,25, 2. entrepreneurial self-efficacy21, on task (process) and outcome domains, 3. factors that affect entrepreneurship26 (e.g., creativity, flexibility, risk tolerance, responsiveness, leadership, stress management), and 4. entrepreneurial attitudes27 (e.g., perceived behavioral control and support and attitude toward commercialization and life change).

Public Health Relevance Statement:
PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE STATEMENT The life scientist is key to unlocking the commercial and health impact value of life science research. Unfortunately, scientists have few resources to assess the emotional and logistical ramifications of the challenging career change from scientific explorer to entrepreneur. The proposed simulation and decision support experience helps the life scientist explore entrepreneurship, assess entrepreneurial intent, build confidence, and enhance team building skills. Through subsequent action, they potentially unlock scientific findings that can impact real-world health outcomes.

Project Terms:
Address; Affect; Agriculture; Attitude; base; Behavior; Behavior Control; bench to bedside; Biological; Biological Assay; Biological Markers; Biological Sciences; Businesses; career; Career Choice; Climacteric; Clinical; Cognitive; Collaborations; commercialization; Competence; Computer software; Creativeness; Custom; design; Development; Disadvantaged; Doctor of Philosophy; Electronic Mail; Emotional; Enrollment; Ensure; Entrepreneurship; Environment; Equipment and supply inventories; Evaluation; Exclusion Criteria; experience; Feedback; flexibility; Funding; Genomics; Goals; Health; Immunotherapy; Impact evaluation; inclusion criteria; Individual; Intention; interest; Interview; intrinsic motivation; Leadership; Learning; Life; Logistics; Measures; Mechanics; Mentors; Modification; next generation; Outcome; Participant; Pathway interactions; Phase; Play; Postdoctoral Fellow; Privatization; Process; programs; Protocols documentation; prototype; public health relevance; Questionnaires; recruit; Reporting; Research; research and development; Research Personnel; Resources; Risk; Role; role model; Scientist; Self Efficacy; sex; simulation; skills; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; social; Strategic Planning; stress management; Structure; success; Surveys; Talents; Technology; Testing; theories; Time; tool; Training; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; usability; Value of Life; Woman; Work; World Health

Business Encounters: Life Scientist Simulation Experience to Enhance Entrepreneurial Intent and Self-efficacy In FY 2019, the NIH invested $26 billion in 49,000 research project grants. Commercialization of that work is essential to the nations health and driven by a vibrant community of biomedical startups, incubators and funding options. Life scientists are key to those startups yet women life scientists are underrepresented. Barriers to women from the earliest stages of activity results in decreased intent, confidence, entrepreneurship, and downstream funding. This gap in obtaining value from potential women life science entrepreneurs is both wasteful and unacceptable; this project intends to address that gap. Phase II development of Business Encounters: Life Scientist completes a 3D simulation product that engages early-career women scientists, from graduate students to post-docs to funded investigators. In a simulation and training experience as women life scientists role-play challenges to established barriers and seek guidance from simulated advisors, they • identify barriers, • establish their level of entrepreneurial intent, • define a pathway to overcome barriers to entrepreneurship, practice the necessary skills, and • build self-efficacy. Phase I successfully established the feasibility of Business Encounters: Life Scientist and laid the groundwork for Phases II and III. We worked with 8 women Primary Investigators with expertise in life science, entrepreneurship, business, assessment and evaluation (SBIR), as well soliciting feedback from 34 women life scientists in the earlier stages of their career and 8 men with experience with life science or entrepreneurship. Based on this, we clarified the need, created a simulation design, developed, tested and refined a single-scenario prototype, and outlined a plan for Phase II and Phase III commercialization. We found strong support for a solution to fill the above gap despite low confidence in entrepreneurial ability. We identified enthusiasm for guidance to identify and overcome barriers, within an interactive simulation framework. The thoroughly tested prototype was refined through successive usability rounds until all usability issues were addressed. Eventually 100% of participants agreed they would recommend the experience to women interested in pursuing entrepreneurship. Phase II completes development using the same strong team approach. A summative evaluation with a pre-/post-intervention design with wait-list control assesses impact on 80 women life scientists’ 1) entrepreneurial intention, 2) entrepreneurial self-efficacy, 3) factors that affect entrepreneurship, and 4) entrepreneurial attitudes toward availability of support, career change, and the challenge of commercialization.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE STATEMENT Unlocking the full commercial and health impact value of life science research demands that the country empowers and prepare life scientists to build companies of the future. The potential value of women life scientists is stymied by a system with barriers that impede entrepreneurial interest, engagement and confidence. Women life scientists will engage with Business Encounters: Life Scientist 3D simulation product to explore and challenge barriers that impact entrepreneurial intent, business skills, and self-efficacy. Through subsequent entrepreneurial activity, they can potentially translate their scientific findings into products that affect real-world health outcomes.

Project Terms:
3-Dimensional; Address; Affect; Attitude; base; Behavior; bench to bedside; Biological Sciences; Businesses; career; commercialization; Communities; Computers; Country; Cross-Over Studies; Data; design; Development; Enrollment; Entrepreneurship; Evaluation; experience; Feedback; Funding; Future; graduate student; Health; human capital; Incubators; instrument; Intention; interest; Intervention; Laboratory Research; Life; member; men; Modification; Outcome; Participant; Pathway interactions; Phase; Pilot Projects; Play; post intervention; Postdoctoral Fellow; Protocols documentation; prototype; public health relevance; Randomized; recruit; Reporting; Research; Research Personnel; Research Project Grants; Resources; Role; Role playing therapy; Science; Scientist; Self Efficacy; Self Perception; simulation; simulation environment; skills; System; Testing; therapy design; Training; Translating; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; usability; Value of Life; Waiting Lists; web site; Woman; Work; World Health