Past Events

Sanders TDI Request for Proposals for Small Molecule Therapeutic Discovery Projects

Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 9:00am to 5:00pm

This exciting program is designed to efficiently advance early stage projects, that have the potential to benefit patients, to proof of concept studies. Sanders TDI contributes medicinal chemistry and drug development capabilities that complement the deep scientific expertise already available in our research community.

The recipients of Sanders TDI support will be selected by a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. To select the most promising projects in the most unbiased manner possible, Sanders TDI draws upon a scientific advisory board (SAB) comprised of recognized scientific and thought leaders drawn from the biopharmaceutical industry, the venture capital community, and the faculty of WCMC, RU and MSKCC (for a list of members please see the About Sanders TDI web page: https://www.tritdi.org/leadership/). The SAB utilizes well-established, stringent criteria to select the most competitive and transformational projects for execution. The SAB also helps to oversee and assess progress of the selected projects, which are milestone-driven and designed to reach specified value-inflection points.

The project application is a three-step process:

  1. Submission of a letter of intent (LOI) that includes a basic description of the project, describes the unmet medical need, and provides a scientific rationale the project. The Letter of Intent is due Thursday, Feb 13, 2025
  2. A full application package (8-10 pages) that will be requested from PIs whose LOIs describe projects that fit well with the Sanders TDI mission.
  3. Review of the application by the Sanders TDI Small Molecule Scientific Advisory Board.
TDI metrics and request for proposals details against a background of TDI official colors (red, light blue and navy blue).

Navigating the Licensing Process

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 11:45am to 1:00pm
Location: Virtual

The first step toward making an impact with your research innovation is to license your innovation through the university. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to navigate that process with Cornell’s technology transfer office, the Center for Technology Licensing. By the end, you’ll know the tools you need to advance your innovation to the marketplace to benefit society and spur economic development. 

Moderated by Cornell Entrepreneur in Residence Greg Ray, this panel discussion will feature: 

  • Sarah Ward, Life Sciences Business Development and Licensing Associate for the Cornell Center for Technology Licensing 
  • Frank DeCosta, Partner at Finnegan Henderson and an expert in patent litigation 

Register now: https://bit.ly/IEWorkshop17  

This workshop is part of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Series presented by Cornell Research and Innovation. Designed to explore the entrepreneurial journey from ideation to operation, the series is open to any Cornellian with a vision for a startup, including researchers, faculty, doctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduates across Cornell’s campuses. 

To view all upcoming workshops for the Spring 2025 semester and register, please visit https://bit.ly/CornellEntrepreneurshipSeries. 

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CSL Research Acceleration Initiative Info Session

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Location: Virtual

CSL is a leading global biotech company that develops and delivers innovative biotherapies to help people living with life-threatening medical conditions live full lives.

CSL’s Research Acceleration Initiative aims to fast-track discovery of innovative biotherapies through partnerships between CSL and global research organizations.

Successful applicants will receive funding of up to $400,000 USD over 2 years.

Interested researchers are invited to:

  • Attend information webinars to learn more about the initiative: Thursday, January 23 at 1pm ET or Wednesday, February 5, at 11am ET
  • Contact James Bellush at jmb824@cornell.edu to express interest in applying and to obtain online application submission instructions.
  • Submit a non-confidential, 300 word abstract via the CSL online application portal by February 20, 2025.
White letters "CSL" against a red square and reasons why collaborate with CSL

NSF I-Corps Regional Course (Application Deadline: 2/5/25)

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 9:00am to 5:00pm
Location: Virtual

In this virtual course (held March 3 - April 2), researchers working on a deep tech innovation “get out of your comfort zone” and talk with customers (virtually) to identify the best product-market fit. You may apply with a team of 1-3 people. Teams may not split attendance between members. Please only include the members of your team that will be fully participating in the course. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework.

Apply hereQuestions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu

A female scientist wearing personal protective equipment looking at a sample under a microscope

Ignite Connect: Accelerating Impact 2025

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Location: Virtual

Ignite Connect: Accelerating Impact is a new signature event of the Ignite Cornell Lab to Market program series. This virtual event serves as a unique venue to connect investors, industry partners, and stakeholders with technology innovations and companies that have benefited from the Ignite Gap Funding Program. 

It is an opportunity to explore and engage with researchers and founders around their technologies and ventures emerging from Cornell University. This dynamic virtual experience aims to create connections and serves as a catalyst, bridging innovative technologies with resources and opportunities for meaningful impact.

Register now. 

Two hands shaking

Applying the Scientific Method to Startups

Thursday, January 30, 2025 - 11:45am to 1:00pm
Location: Virtual

Think you have a great idea for a startup? Make sure you validate it! Just as scientific researchers must test their hypotheses through laboratory experiments, entrepreneurs must test their business assumptions by conducting customer discovery interviews.  

In this free workshop, you’ll learn how to validate your idea and create a sustainable, scalable business model based on evidence. Verify that customers want your product or service before expending money and resources to launch a business! 

Moderated by Cornell Entrepreneur in Residence Ed Bizari, this panel discussion will feature: 

Register now: https://bit.ly/IEWorkshop16 

This workshop is part of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Series presented by Cornell Research and Innovation. Designed to explore the entrepreneurial journey from ideation to operation, the series is open to any Cornellian with a vision for a startup, including researchers, faculty, doctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduates across Cornell’s campuses. 

To view all upcoming workshops for the Spring 2025 semester and register, please visit https://bit.ly/CornellEntrepreneurshipSeries. 

A South Asian man wearing a light blue shirt looking into a microscope.

Core Facility Spotlight: WCM and NYP Emergency Medicine SIM Center

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Location: Virtual

Fresh off the heels of last Tuesday's successful Weill Cornell Medicine Cores Day, we are excited to share the next installment of BioVenture eLab’s and Ford Center Incubator’s Core Facilities Series. This episode will focus on physician-scientists and an essential resource for innovation testing and cross-discipline training.

Featured Guest:

Kevin Ching, M.D.

  • Medical Director, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Simulation Center
  • Assistant Attending Physician
  • Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine & Pediatrics

The WCM and NYP Simulation Center is a leader in interprofessional, experiential healthcare education. As a comprehensive and integrated partnership between the Departments of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB-GYN, and Pediatrics, this core facility strives to reinvent how knowledge is shared through simulation-based education. The center creates and develops innovations in interprofessional education, collaborative research and patient safety.

Discover more about its experiential learning opportunities for: 

  • Patient safety initiatives
  • Interprofessional teamwork behaviors
  • Advanced life support skills
  • Advanced airway procedures
  • Trauma resuscitation skills
  • ACGME core competencies

Hosts

Loren A. Busby, CFA, Director, Weill Cornell Medicine BioVenture eLab
Carlo Yuvienco, PhD, Director, Ford Center Incubator @ The Rockefeller University

 Register here

Event details with a headshot of guest speaker Kevin Ching, an East Asian man wearing glasses.

CSL Research Acceleration Initiative Info Session

Thursday, January 23, 2025 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Location: Virtual

CSL is a leading global biotech company that develops and delivers innovative biotherapies to help people living with life-threatening medical conditions live full lives.

CSL’s Research Acceleration Initiative aims to fast-track discovery of innovative biotherapies through partnerships between CSL and global research organizations.

Successful applicants will receive funding of up to $400,000 USD over 2 years.

Interested researchers are invited to:

  • Attend information webinars to learn more about the initiative: Thursday, January 23 at 1pm ET or Wednesday, February 5, at 11am ET
  • Contact James Bellush at jmb824@cornell.edu to express interest in applying and to obtain online application submission instructions.
  • Submit a non-confidential, 300 word abstract via the CSL online application portal by February 20, 2025.
White letters "CSL" against a red square and reasons why collaborate with CSL

Lab to Impact IP Module: Practical Insights into Enablement

Thursday, January 23, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Location: Virtual

In the past, obtaining an issued patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office usually meant wrangling with a patent examiner over the pillars of patentability, novelty and obviousness. However, the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Amgen v. Sanofi thrust another lesser-known condition, the enablement requirement, to the forefront. Citing the enablement requirement, the Court curtailed the breadth of the Amgen's patent claims, stating that the specification did not support their broad claims to classes of molecules. In the aftermath, inventors, patent holders and practitioners have been left scrambling to figure out how this new interpretation of enablement affects them.

Join us for a webinar with Yvonne Shyntum, Partner at PABST Patent Group, as she walks through the Court's interpretation of enablement and practical strategies for complying with enablement. Dr. Shyntum holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology from Emory University and a J.D. from Georgia State University. She represents clients in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical areas and regularly presents on intellectual property topics. 

Register here

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Resnick Prize for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Info Session

Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - 4:00pm to 4:30pm
Location: Virtual

You are invited to attend our second virtual info session for the Susan and Gene D. Resnick ’70, MD ’74 Prize for Excellence in Entrepreneurship (“Resnick Prize”). The Resnick Prize is an annual, university-wide competition that provides funding to startups with an active, intercampus collaboration involving Weill Cornell Medicine and another Cornell University campus/location in Ithaca, New York, or Qatar. Startups initiated at Weill Cornell, Cornell Ithaca, Cornell Tech, or WCM-Qatar are eligible to apply as long as the startup has a license to Cornell-owned technology that touches Weill Cornell Medicine through either a research or clinical collaboration.  

We are seeking exciting collaborations where teams can work together on a technology that will be commercialized via a startup. The winning company will receive up to $10,000 in prize money.

The Resnick Prize seeks to fund projects in all sectors (therapeutics, devices, digital health, research & AI tools, etc.) impacting healthcare and patient outcomes. Teams must have incorporated their company to be eligible for the award

The deadline for applications is Friday, February 14.

Register for the info session here

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