India, Brazil and Switzerland: an introduction to entrepreneurship
Endre Horvath, one of the winners of AIT Innovation Grant ©swissnex Brazil
A training program for up-and-coming entrepreneurs set up by venturelab gives some 30 scientists from top-tier research institutions in Brazil, India and Switzerland the opportunity to assess the marketability of their innovation, develop their business acumen and do some networking. Applications for the next session are being accepted through 12 August.
Bridging three continents, the Academy-Industry Training Camps aim to help young scientists move the results of their research from the laboratory to the market. Two weeks of workshops, meetings and visits in either India or Brazil and then in Switzerland may well give these enterprising researchers the boost they need to successfully transform their ideas into marketable products.
Now in its third year running, the AIT Camp will send 16 Masters students, PhD candidates and researchers from Swiss universities and research institutes to Bangalore or Rio in the fall. They will take part in a weeklong immersion alongside 15 local colleagues during which they will meet investors, innovation specialists, potential manufacturing partners and local researchers. This will give them a sense of the entrepreneurial environment of the country and some initial contacts needed to develop a market for their products.
Wiktor Likowski, a participant in 2014, used his startup BioSemic to develop a rapid diagnostic test for infectious diseases – including tuberculosis. India is therefore an interesting partner for future sales. Wiktor considers the opportunity to discover India’s entrepreneurial culture a clear advantage. “Not only did I get leads on business development in India, but I was also able to meet clinicians, microbiologists and manufacturers who need the tests that we are developing. They explained the insurance systems, the urgency of infectious diseases and how things really work there. This very concrete information will be really useful.”
The participants from the three countries will then gather in Switzerland in spring 2016 for workshops, visits to companies at different stages of development – from startups to multinationals – and pitch meetings with an informed audience. These future entrepreneurs will have ample opportunity to gather advice, improve how they present their venture and, of course, expand their network of contacts. The program concludes with presentations to a panel of experts: the top three presenters will win an AIT Innovation Grant worth 10,000 francs.
Applications for this competitive program, which is jointly organized by venturelab, EPFL, swissnex India and swissnex Brazil, will be accepted through 12 August. Masters students, PhD candidates, postdocs and researchers from Swiss universities and research institutes who want to explore practical applications for marketing their innovation are encouraged to apply.