Rice Biotech Launch Pad and RBL LLC launches Rice Venture Creation Fellowship

Postdoctoral research program will provide up to 3 years of training for recent graduates to bridge gap between academic research and venture-backable startups

HOUSTON, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rice Biotech Launch Pad, a Houston-based accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university's health and medical technology discoveries into cures, announced today that it is launching a Rice Venture Creation Fellowship, a program aimed at providing recent doctoral graduates passionate about innovation and startup development with the training and resources they need to transition from academic research to the creation of venture-backable startup concepts.

The program will provide support for entrepreneurial, strategically minded fellows to develop target product profiles, discover potential customer bases, prototype products and generate initial data to derisk product performance, develop business plans and a refined pitch deck and build expert scientific and clinical advisory boards for continued mentorship of scientific programs. Complementing the Biotech Launch Pad Fellows program for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working in labs at the BioScience Research Collaborative, this program will also support trainees as they navigate the challenging journey of pushing scientific developments from the academic research lab to the clinic and commercialization.

"Since its launch, the Rice Biotech Launch Pad has played a pivotal role in accelerating the transformation of Rice University discoveries and technologies into clinical applications, ensuring that patients have rapid access to cutting-edge therapeutic advances and further positioning Houston as a growing hub for life sciences innovation," said Omid Veiseh, faculty director of the Biotech Launch Pad. "With the introduction of the Venture Creation Fellowship, we're expanding on this momentum by providing a tailored path for recent Ph.D. graduates to transition into entrepreneurial roles. This program not only enhances the Launch Pad's efforts but also broadens our reach across the U.S., allowing us to attract emerging talent to Texas' burgeoning biotech ecosystem."

"By creating this new venture-focused fellowship, we're not only preparing the next generation of scientific innovators to become capable entrepreneurs — we're also transforming the future of health care," said Paul Wotton, executive director of the Launch Pad. "The transition from research to business ventures can be a daunting one. Our objective with this program is to cultivate a nurturing environment for the next business leaders of the biotech and medtech industries by providing consolidated resources, world class mentorship and a rich ecosystem of scientific and clinical innovation. At Rice, we're empowering postdocs to turn their scientific discoveries into impactful, marketable health care solutions."

As part of the program, postdoctoral fellows will have access to office space in the Launch Pad and Helix Park, close mentorship from the Launch Pad executive advisory board and Launch Pad leadership as well as personalized support from serial entrepreneurs and scientists with a translational focus. Fellows will also be included in the prestigious Lilie Fellows Program at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business, ranked among the top U.S. programs in entrepreneurship. Additionally, participants will have access to clinicians at the Texas Medical Center to gain insights into the most commanding unmet needs in health care today.

The Venture Creation Fellowship's inaugural group of postdocs will begin the program in fall 2025. Ideal candidates will have a strong technical background in investing and developing biotechnology, proficiency in prototyping and data generation for risk assessment and the ability to engage and collaborate with scientific and clinical experts. Preference will be granted to applicants who possess an entrepreneurial mindset, existing capabilities in market research and customer discovery, basic business and financial acumen and strong communication skills for networking, stakeholder engagement and pitching. The program offers full salary and benefits as well as funding for research expenditures and travel through a faculty sponsor. To apply, candidates must complete an online application including a statement of interest, submit a CV, provide letters of recommendation and optionally include a business plan and pitch deck. Those interested in pursuing specific research concepts should match with a faculty sponsor to guide their specified area of work.

This opportunity is open to individuals who have completed their doctorates within the last five years, offering up to three years of funding and support. Interested candidates can find more information and submit applications on https://biotechlaunchpad.rice.edu/post-doctoral-fellows-program. The application deadline is April 15.

About the Rice Biotech Launch Pad:

The Rice Biotech Launch Pad is a Houston-based accelerator focused on expediting the translation of Rice University's health and medical technology discoveries into cures. This initiative is designed to help advance internally discovered platform technologies from concept to clinical studies and commercialization. The Rice Biotech Launch Pad will identify and support highly differentiated projects while driving the expansion of Houston as a world-class medical innovation ecosystem. The accelerator will bring together local researchers with a network of industry executives. For more information, please visit https://biotechlaunchpad.rice.edu/.

About Rice:

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering and computing, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Internationally, the university maintains the Rice Global Paris Center, a hub for innovative collaboration, research and inspired teaching located in the heart of Paris. With 4,776 undergraduates and 4,104 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 7 for best-run colleges by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by the Wall Street Journal and is included on Forbes' exclusive list of "New Ivies."

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SOURCE Rice University