This project aims to establish the USC-SPARK program, a multidisciplinary initiative modeled after Stanford’s SPARK program to accelerate the translation of academic discoveries into clinical applications and industry partnerships. The program focuses on bridging the “valley of death” between discovery and commercialization by building a collaborative ecosystem across academia and industry.
Specific Aims:
- To assemble a multidisciplinary team actively invested in therapeutic translation and develop a team charter to establish and implement the USC-SPARK program.
- To create a collaborative learning ecosystem through seminars, case discussions, and industry engagement that supports therapeutic translation and commercialization.
The team includes experts in biomedical engineering, translational medicine, technology licensing, industry partnerships, and clinical research, alongside collaborators from USC, CHLA, and industry networks.
Team Building Activities include:
- Stanford SPARK visit: Leaders attend Stanford SPARK meetings to inform planning and strategy development.
- Attendance of SC CTSI team science workshop: The core team participates in a training workshop and applies team science principles throughout project activities.
- Develop a team charter with the core team: The team collaboratively defines goals, structure, scope, and deliverables for the USC-SPARK program.
- Faculty and SPARK founder seminar series: Regular seminars feature faculty founders and SPARK leadership to share insights on startup formation, licensing, and funding pathways.
- Industry expert seminars and roundtable discussions: The team engages industry experts and researchers in interactive sessions to support commercialization strategies, partnerships, and funding pathways.