AsianScientist (Aug. 17, 2015) – The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) is launching a pilot program to help researchers make the jump to entrepreneurship. Called the Innovation Fellows Program, the course is targeted at scientists, engineers, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students and business executives with a passion to be entrepreneurs.
“Singapore needs to train a generation of entrepreneurs in the deep sciences who can drive companies to success,” explained Dr. Howard Califano, director of the SMART Innovation Center.
“The Fellowship program provides the basic tools needed to be a venture creator and builder. It is a hands-on course that provides practical training and uses a real entrepreneurial project funded by the Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology as a practicum for teams of fellows.”
This interactive program will include structured lectures from MIT and INSEAD professors and established entrepreneurs; interactive learning through hands-on mentoring; and practicum to develop skills in venture creation, operations and execution.
To be held over five months, the program starts off with a three-day ‘entrepreneurship bootcamp’ where the fellows will learn how to a build, test and pitch a business model. Following that, there will be a series of in-depth lectures that cover design, marketing, operations, financial and executive strategies.
To apply what the fellows have learnt from the bootcamp and structured lectures, there will be a practicum segment, where fellows team up and come up with a new venture creation. A mentor will be assigned to each project, guiding the fellows through their start-ups. The teams will come together and prepare a market study, technology development roadmap, execution plan, financial plan and a pitch deck to investors.
In closing, there will be a demo day, where teams come together and pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors, who will evaluate their presentations and ventures.
The admission fee of S$7,000 is waived for the 15 selected participants in the inaugural year. Following this pilot, there are plans to expand the program, to provide hands-on training for a larger community of future entrepreneurs in Singapore.
The deadline for application is August 30, 2015. Please contact SMART (Attention: Ms. Candy Yeo) for more information.
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Source: Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology; Photo: Shutterstock.
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