Commercializing Your Science with Dr. Lisa Dhar
Scientific discoveries have the potential to make an impact far beyond the laboratory. However, translating research into practical applications requires more than scientific innovation alone. On Friday, October 23, the Center for Reproductive Science (CRS) welcomed Lisa Dhar, PhD, Associate Vice President for the Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) at Northwestern University, for a Career Catalyst presentation titled “Commercializing Your Science.”
Drawing on her experience supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, Dr. Dhar introduced attendees to the process of translating academic research into real-world applications and highlighted campus-wide resources available to Northwestern researchers interested in exploring the commercial potential of their discoveries. A central theme of the presentation was the recognition of opportunities for innovation within academic research. While scientists traditionally measure success through publications and scientific contributions, commercialization offers another pathway for discoveries to benefit society. Through intellectual property protections, licensing, industry partnerships, and startup development, researchers can extend the impact of their work beyond academia.
Dr. Dhar illuminated Northwestern's extensive entrepreneurial ecosystem. As overseer of INVO, Dhar manages two additional spaces conducive to invention and commercialization: The Garage and The Query InQubation Lab. The Garage provides a space for bold ideas and business ventures to pilot. The fields in which these ideas surface span healthcare, medical devices, software, video games, and non-profits–just to name a few. While The Garage has its doors open to every professional background, the Query InQubation Lab is designed for scientists conducting university research in particular. Here, researchers can propel their work into start-ups and break into industry with the help of the entrepreneurial faculty; services such as guidance on venture-building, funding opportunities, and wet lab spaces are available to those becoming involved.
The opportunities and possibilities presented by Dr. Dhar are truly boundless/limitless. Audience members walked away from the talk with a newfound purpose–perhaps patenting an invention in their lab–and an expanded/widened view of their career paths.