Innovation Fellow

The Frankel CVC/Fast Forward Medical Innovation Fellow will focus on assisting academic faculty and project teams with business case development for a promising innovation. The fellowship is a partnership between FFMI and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center. Key activities for the technology commercialization track include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting market research and opportunity sizing

• Conducting patent searches and competition studies

• Researching monetization strategies

• Identifying funding resources and assisting with applications

• Connecting with on-campus and off-campus partners (e.g., engineering, business, etc)

Work Hours: This is a part-time (up to 10 hours per week), remote, work agreement as part of the FFMI team.  Participants must have the ability to balance their research and scholarly activities as part of their doctoral/postdoctoral program with the demands of the FFMI Innovation Fellowship. Fellows must commit 6-12 months to the program depending on their status and responsibilities within their respective doctoral/postdoctoral program.

Eligibility

• Must be a U.S. citizen.

• Open to current U-M Ph.D. graduate students or postdoctoral fellows

Qualifications

• Excellent written and oral communication skills. 

• Ability to independently manage projects.

• Professionalism and ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment.

• Work authorization to allow this type of appointment.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Willingness to learn new skills with a particular focus on the biomedical sciences.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Must be self-directed, reliable, and demonstrate exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.

The primary mission of the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) Office of Research is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the Medical School research community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact. The UMMS Office of

Research has numerous reporting units and programs providing the necessary support to position our researchers for success. Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) is one of those units.

As the "front door" to biomedical innovation, FFMI accelerates commercialization of technologies in diagnostics, therapeutics, devices, and healthcare IT. With the ultimate goal ofimpacting patient health, FFMI supports research at its inception, collaborates with commercial

partners, and nurtures a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship by providing UMMS faculty, staff, and trainees the tools and knowledge necessary to translate an idea into something of impact.

The FFMI Innovation Fellowship program is a 6-12 month, part-time, action-based training program that educates UM doctoral students and postdocs on the business elements of commercializing biomedical technologies.  This position will provide unique experiences to engage

the participating fellow and accelerate the development of life-saving therapies, devices, software tools, and other technologies.