For those of you I haven’t met yet, I am a Business Development Manager here at QM and focused on the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
We’ve been highlighted to an opportunity that might be of interest to academics. Panacea Stars have a “Develop” programme providing start-up funding to de-risk scientific ventures. More information can be found here: https://panacea-stars.com/get-involved/develop/, but a quick summary below that was sent:
Panacea Stars Develop aims to equip young innovators in the life science and healthcare domains with tailored scientific and business development, legal/IP and fundraising support, and connect them to industry experts for mentorship and feedback. We welcome ideas at all stages of development, that have the potential to impact human health – anything from a therapeutic/diagnostic purpose to a medical device, software application or research platform. We have previously selected finalists with ideas ranging from the very early stage to patent-protected, as well as university start-ups to potential spin-outs. We are also able to endorse a Start-up Visa for any eligible applicants, as we believe that innovation has no borders!
We will be awarding a prize worth £100k, free lab space and ongoing business and legal support to the team with the most exceptional idea. However, we want to stress that the real prize is not the cash. It is the mentoring, networking and skills that our founders will acquire over the course of the programme through interacting with our partners and mentors network, including senior executives from McKinsey and Co, Cancer Resaerch UK, British Heart Foundation, AstraZeneca, IBM, J A Kemp, Biorad, Baillie Gifford, and others. Since its inception in 2016, Panacea Stars has helped 250+ startups with the top 10 performers collectively valued at +£300m. Our best performers are evaluated by Panacea Ventures for investment, either directly or through our expansive network.
We are currently looking for the next bright minds to join us in our AW2022 cohort! Our next application deadline is 9th October at 11:59pm GMT. You can apply via this link. Don’t miss out on this one of a kind opportunity! If you require further information about the programme, please see our webpage or contact me via email and I will be more than happy to assist you!
We’d be grateful if you circulate the opportunity among your respective institutions. If anyone is interested in applying, please can you request that they come and speak to the BD team (either myself or Heather Ramsay (h.ramsay@qmul.ac.uk) before applying.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Jayne Watson PhDBusiness Development Manager (Health)