You are a (young) scientist wanting to change from an academic, research driven setting to an industry career path?

And you have a keen desire to actually apply your research on a medical problem to improve patients’ lives but are concerned if you possess the right skill set in order to make this change to industry?

Then we have exactly the right program for you, where you will learn and apply industry specific skills in order facilitate your transition from academia to industry.

From Scientists to Innovators for Industry / SciFi, is a 3-month blended-learning programme consisting of online modules (with 7 basic modules and 3 industry specific modules), webinars, mentoring sessions and rounded off by three events (kick-off, mid programme and final event).

Why get involved?

Learn skills that our industry partners considered vital for a successful onboarding to industry:

Soft skills:  Module 1: communication, collaboration

Creative skills:  Module 2: understanding customer needs, design thinking & prototyping

Module 3: strategic management

Business skills:  Module 4: problem solving & critical thinking

Module 5: project management

Module 6: operational management

Module 7: finance & market access

Industry specific skills:

Bonus modules on intellectual property, medical device regulation and digital transformation.

How it works

Depending on your time commitment that you are able to make, we are offering two different programs: a full programme and a light programme.

Full programme: participants take part in the online learning modules (7 core modules and 3 industry specific modules), 3 events and webinars, and additionally also receive mentoring.

- take part in kick-off event (08. – 10.09.2021), midterm event (27.10.2021) and final event (02.-03.12.2021)

- complete all 7 core modules and min. 1 bonus module

- participate in webinars

- complete assignments after each module

- take at least 2 hours of mentoring

- prepare and present final pitch (with a team)

- pay a participation fee of 500€ (certificate included)

- time commitment from September to December 2021: approximately 4 hours per week

Participants of the full program will work together in multidisciplinary teams of 5 and will jointly develop a solution to a real-life industry case, which you will then present to a jury and industry partners at the final event.

Light programme: participants take part in the 8 weeks online program.

- complete all 7 core modules and min. 1 bonus module

- pay a participation fee of 100€ (with access to the final and recruitment events)

- participants may receive a certificate (50€)

- time commitment from September to December 2021: approximately 1,5 hours per week

For early applicants we are offering a special ‘early bird reduction’ of 50% till the end of May. Further we are going to offer a limited number of industry sponsored places for the Full Programme.

Who should apply?

Young scientists (PhDs and PostDocs) who are interested in starting a career in industry.

Important Dates

Application: 19.04.2021 - 30.06.2021

Information Webinar: 19.05.2021

Kick-off event: 08.-10.09.2021

Modules from 13.09.2021 through to 12.11.2021

Mid Program event: 27.10.2021

Final Event: 02.-03.12.2021

The partners involved

SciFi consists of a large consortium of academic and industry partners from MedTech and Pharma

Academic Partners:

Medical University of Lodz (Poland), Maastricht University (Netherlands), National University of Ireland-Galway (Ireland), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Medical University of Gdansk (Poland)

Industry Partners/ Non-academic Partners:

Boehringer Ingelheim, Philips, Roche, FreshBlood, DEX, MADoPA

For further information contact: main activity leader Joanna Baranowska

Joanna Baranowska

Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer Institute
Medical University of Lodz University

E-mail: joanna.baranowska@umed.lodz.pl