Page 15 - Technology and Innovation Journal - 19-1

UNIVERSITY-BASED TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATORS 353

BEST PRACTICES: WHAT MAKES A GOOD knowledge of the technological area is a plus but not
PROGRAM? required; it is most important for the administrators
The Columbia programs have a combined nine to be familiar with technology commercialization
years of experience running accelerator programs. and entrepreneurship overall. The full-time admin-
Below, we share what we believe to be successful istrator needs to be self-organized and comfortable
approaches to core elements of the accelerator pro- working on a small team where resources are limited.
grams: program oversight, outreach and application Many programs may also be able to rely on available
development, selection process, educational elements, resources from within the technology transfer office
and awardee process. Naturally, these are not the only or elsewhere at the university to fill in gaps as needed.
ways to approach these steps, nor are they necessarily
the best. However, we share them here in the hopes Outreach and Application Development
of starting the conversation. Columbia has developed During the initial years of a new program, it can
many of the template materials for activities below, be challenging to spread the word to potential appli-
which we can share with interested institutions upon cants. Accelerators can increase their outreach and
request. application development through the following:

• Engage with technology transfer offices and cam-
Program Oversight pus entrepreneurship organizations to advertise
Because an accelerator involves much more than the program via newsletters, events, referrals,
simply soliciting applications and awarding funds, and direct contact with researchers via presen-
when setting up a new initiative, it is essential that tations at departmental meetings and new faculty
dedicated staff be available to oversee the many orientations.
activities in order to ensure that a quality program • Target researchers with relevant grant awards
is created and nurtured. This includes a focus on the or submitted grant applications by coordinating
programmatic efforts necessary to attract project with the sponsored projects office or sourcing
applications, the creation or honing of educational them from publicly available grant agency awardee
programs capable of supporting teams, and the lists.
creation of vital external collaborations and part- • Leverage accelerator alumni teams for referrals
nerships. Because of the many stakeholders involved to their scientific colleagues.
(applicant teams, awardee teams, mentors, judges, • Circulate advertising print material, such as fly-
teaching teams, and others), as well as the vari- ers and handouts, to relevant departments.
ous phases taking place concurrently (e.g., project • Host multiple information sessions on campus:
applications from new teams, project management ◉ Invite researchers as well as technology transfer
of existing teams, educational programs), we found officers and entrepreneurship directors to dis-
that setting up an accelerator requires, at a minimum, cuss the specifics of the program.
one full-time equivalent (FTE) or more if resources ◉ Present a simple, accessible document con-
allow. Our Columbia-Coulter medical technology taining eligibility requirements, important
accelerator is run with 1.5 FTEs, while a multi-insti- dates, requirements for awardees, and benefits
tutional program such as PowerBridgeNY requires at of participating, including specific examples
least 2 FTEs but ideally more. Once a program is fully of success if possible.
established and systems are in place, and/or there are • Assemble a steering committee of key stakehold-
multiple accelerators that can share core resources, ers within the university community (research
it could be possible to scale back the number of staff faculty, entrepreneurship educators, technology
dedicated to any one program, but the initiation of a transfer officers, department chairs and/or
successful program will require a focused and ded- deans) to champion the program by helping to
icated staff. shape policies, provide feedback, and spread the
The skill set of the administrative team can vary word across campus.
depending on the goals of the program. In most cases,