Weatherhead School of Management | Case School of Engineering | College of Arts and Sciences | School of Medicine
Weatherhead School of Management
Entrepreneurial Finance - BAFI 444/MSFI 444
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the issues of financial management and capital formation in new ventures. The course will address issues of estimation of cash requirements, development of pro forma financial plans, firm valuation and the process and tools used in raising debt and equity financing. Bootstrapping, angel investing, venture capital, strategic alliances and initial public offerings will be covered. The emphasis is on the entrepreneur and how he/she can assess financial needs and develop a sensible plan for acquiring financial resources in a manner that is consistent with their financial needs and other strategic goals. For MSM-Finance students only.
AMES Business Models - MGMT 495
This is an experiential course designed to explore the challenges that face entrepreneurs and established organizations as they develop new business models. Throughout the course we will address four general questions regarding business models: What are the key elements of any business model? How do those elements work in concert to create value? What challenges do innovators face as they explore new business models? What tools and techniques help innovators reduce their risk and enable growth? At the end of this course students should be able to: Describe the essential elements of a business model and how that model is meant to create value. Assess the potential of any business model and the key assumptions upon which it is built. Design and execute experiments to efficiently validate (or invalidate) those assumptions. Whether students plan to join an existing organization or start their own, these tools will provide a foundation for creating innovative, sustainable businesses. This course will focus Intrepreneurship (creating and testing new business models within an established organization).
Beyond Silicon Valley (Online elective) - MGMT 456
The path for entrepreneurs to grow their companies outside of well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystems like Silicon Valley is challenging. Most markets around the world do not look like Silicon Valley, and they never will. But there are other models to support new businesses. In transitioning markets (where entrepreneurs do not have much access to private sector financing), government officials, donors, and business leaders are experimenting with creative approaches to support the growth of entrepreneurs. Cleveland is one such community. This seminar will explore some of these innovative approaches.
International Institute - MGMT 458
The International Institute involves semester-long study of a particular region, followed by a class trip to an area within that region. The preparatory coursework varies depending on the region selected for that particular semester; however, it typically consists of research about cultural, financial, political, and economic topics. The trip consists of daily research meeting with organizations within the region being studied. Upon return, a summary exercise is required to complete the coursework. The class trip is a mandatory component of the course.
Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship - MBAP 409
This course creates a foundational platform featuring key models and managerial tools for building sustainable value and "turning the social and global issues of our day into business opportunities." Case studies of leading mainstream companies are used to analyze how business value is created for a range of social and environmental initiatives. Students will look at sustainability business strategies that reduce risks, drive down costs, create new revenue streams, serve new markets, and position companies to take advantage of changing societal expectations. Environmental issues such as climate change are covered along with social issues such as global poverty. Students acquire the competencies required to make effective business decisions based on integrating sustainability into the core of a company's value added activities. Prereq: This course is for students in the Part-time Cohort MBA Program.
Managing in the Global Economy - MGMT 460
Managers need new skills to enable them to manage effectively in what is increasingly a global economy. They need a deeper understanding of cultural differences and how these differences may influence communications with foreign employers, employees, customers, suppliers or partners. They need a better understanding of the economic and political mechanics of the world business system. They need to learn how to find out more about potential opportunities and threats that lie outside the United States. This course is designed to address these needs. Also offered as MGMT 361.
Entrepreneurship and Personal Wealth Creation - DESN 419/IIME 419/ENTP 419
Course explores the accumulation of personal wealth utilizing entrepreneurial strategies. The underlying competencies of successful entrepreneurs are identified and applied to individual lives of students. Active entrepreneurs will be studied, and original case studies of start-ups and acquisitions provide the basis for class exercises.
Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management (FUSION) - MGMT 467, LAWS 5341, GENE 367, GENE 467, EBME 467, EECS 467
This interdisciplinary course covers a variety of topics, including principles of intellectual property and intellectual property management, business strategies and modeling relevant to the creation of start-up companies and exploitation of IP rights as they relate to biomedical-related inventions. The goal of this course is to address issues relating to the commercialization of biomedical-related inventions by exposing law students, MBA students, and Ph.D. candidates (in genetics and proteomics) to the challenges and opportunities encountered when attempting to develop biomedical intellectual property from the point of early discovery to the clinic and market. Specifically, this course seeks to provide students with the ability to value a given technological advance or invention holistically, focusing on issues that extend beyond scientific efficacy and include patient and practitioner value propositions, legal and intellectual property protection, business modeling, potential market impacts, market competition, and ethical, social, and healthcare practitioner acceptance. During this course, law students, MBA students, and Ph.D. candidates in genomics and proteomics will work in teams of five (two laws students, two MBA students and one Ph.D. candidate), focusing on issues of commercialization and IP management of biomedical-related inventions. The instructors will be drawn from the law school, business school, and technology-transfer office. Please visit the following website for more information: fusioninnovate.com.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation - ENTP 428
In all companies, new and old, large and small, innovation and entrepreneurship are important ways economic value is created. Whether a person wants to found their own company or work in an existing one, and whether one wants to run a business or simply work in one, it is difficult to go through one's career without needing to engage in innovation or entrepreneurship. The purpose of this course is to equip students to think about how to manage innovation and entrepreneurship. The course will provide frameworks and tools for understanding four important dimensions of innovation and entrepreneurship: (1) Identifying and evaluating opportunities for the new products, processes, ways of organizing, materials, and markets; (2) assessing the needs of customers for new products and services and developing products and services that fulfill those needs; (3) creating strategies to financially benefit from investing in innovation and entrepreneurship; and (4) designing groups and organizations to be innovative and entrepreneurial.
Case School of Engineering
New Venture Finance - IIME 411
This course explores the financing and financial management of entrepreneurial new ventures. The course will focus on issues of financial management of new ventures (forecasting cash flows, cash flow management, valuation, capital structure) and the various financial methods and mechanisms available to entrepreneurs (bootstrapping, angel investors, venture capitalists, IPOs). This course is highly complementary to the IIME 410 Finance course which only briefly covers venture finance.
Engineering Entrepreneurship - IIME 450
The nature and importance of entrepreneurship is an area of importance to business leaders, educators, politicians, and individual members of society. It is a driver of economic development and wealth creation in organization units ranging in size from the individual company to entire nations. Technology-based entrepreneurship is particularly important to this economic development due to its impact on productivity and its potential for exponential growth. To create something new and of value to both the organization and the market requires a technical individual who is willing to assume the social, psychic and financial risks involved and achieve the resulting rewards whether these be monetary, personal satisfaction or independence. This can occur while starting an enterprise (i.e., entrepreneurship) or while driving innovation in an existing organization (intrapreneurship). This course will also take students through a variety of issues related to enhancing innovation in the context of a technology-based organization. This is sometimes termed intrapreneurship and includes innovating new products and services within an organization. This is a very complex field and relatively young. Students will learn that there are not many "absolute truths," but there are numerous best practices and benchmarks that can assist the intrapreneur. Recommended preparation: Accredited Bachelor's in Engineering plus summer job experience.
Technology Entrepreneurship: Market Opportunity Analysis - IIME 450A
The nature and importance of entrepreneurship is an area of importance to business leaders, educators, politicians, and individual members of the society. It is a driver of economic development and wealth creation in organization units ranging in size from the individual company to entire nations. Technology-based entrepreneurship is particularly important to this economic development due to its impact on productivity and its potential for exponential growth. To create something new and of value to both the organization and the market requires a technical individual who is willing to assume the social, psychic, and financial risks involved and achieve the resulting rewards whether these be monetary, personal satisfaction, or independence. This can occur while starting an enterprise (i.e., entrepreneurship) or while driving innovation in an existing organization (intrapreneurship). This course will also take students through a variety of issues related to enhancing innovation in the context of a technology-based organization. This is sometimes termed intrapreneurship and includes innovating new products and services within an organization. This is a very complex field and relatively young. Students will learn that there are not many "absolute truths," but there are numerous best practices and benchmarks that can assist the intrapreneur. Recommended preparation: Accredited Bachelor's in Engineering plus summer job experience. Prereq: Enrolled in the Master of Engineering and Management program.
Translational Research for Biomedical Engineers - EBME 440
Translational Research (TR) in the Biomedical Engineering context means translating laboratory discoveries or developments into improved health care. Topics and activities include: Interdisciplinary teamwork and communication; Research ethics and human subjects protection; Regulation and oversight of human subjects and animal research; Clinical validation study design and biostatistics; Intellectual property, technology transfer and commercialization; Physician shadowing; Attending Grand Rounds and Morbidity-Mortality conferences; Preparing IRB and IACUC protocols; Final integrative project. Prereq: Graduate standing or Undergraduate with Junior or Senior standing and a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above.
Principles of Medical Device Design and Innovation - EBME 471
Translational research leading to medical device innovation is highly interdisciplinary, requiring a systematic, structured approach to bringing new medical technologies to market. This course provides the fundamental principles of the Biodesign innovation process, providing the student the essential tools to (A) identify unmet clinical needs, (B) create innovative medical device concepts that respond to a primary unmet need, and (C) understand the process for translating these concepts into the market. In short, the student learns the fundamental principles for the process of identify, invent, implement in the field of Biodesign.
BioDesign: Process of Innovating New Medical Technology - EBME 472, IIME 472, SYBB 472
Medical device innovations that would have been considered science fiction a decade ago are already producing new standards of patient care. Innovation leading to lower cost of care, minimally invasive procedures and shorter recovery times is equally important to healthcare business leaders, educators, clinicians, and policy-makers. Innovation is a driver of regional economic development and wealth creation in organizational units ranging in size from the start-up to the Fortune 500 companies. In a broader context, the pace of translational research leading to product and service innovation is highly interdisciplinary, thus, new products and services result from team efforts, marked by a systematic, structured approach to bringing new medical technologies to market and impacting patient care. In this course we examine medical technology innovations in the context of (A) addressing unmet clinical needs, (B) the process of inventing new medical devices and instruments, and (C) subsequent implementation of these advances in patient care. In short, the student learns the process of "identify, invent, implement" in the field of BioDesign.
Introduction to Translational Health Technology - EBME 491
Introduction to Translational Health Technology serves as the orientation and launch of the year-long Masters of Translational Health Technology program. Sessions are designed to orient students to this fast-paced, lock-step, interdisciplinary program so they are adequately coached and prepared for the "road ahead" in the translation of leading-edge research into patient care. In addition to providing specific instructional elements, this course also helps set program expectations, norms, and metrics of successful student performance. The course of study includes invited capstone project presentations by the incumbent (prior year) students or other graduate students; such project discussions enable: (A) BME masters degree students completing their studies a chance to reflect on their research and project work and, (B) for new students completing orientation to develop first-hand experience with the process of inquiry and debate relating to the field of translational health technology.
Product and Process Design and Implementation - EPOM 403
The course is taught through a series of lectures, class discussions, group projects and case studies. The course aim is to provide a solid understanding of the many aspects of the engineering design process and the management of technology. The course focuses on the engineering and management activities used to develop and bring to market new products and processes. The first part of the course focuses on the techniques used to develop new ideas, the second part focuses on the management of technology and innovation. Recommended preparation: EPOM 401.
Experimental Design for Biosciences - EPBI 446
This course deals with basic problems of the design and analysis of experiments with emphasis on experiments conducted in the biomedical sciences. Topics will include completely randomized and balanced incomplete block designs. Latin and Greco-Latin squares, factorial experiments and response surface and mixture designs. In addition to analysis and interpretation of results from experiments, optimization of design parameters, using second-order models will be covered. The course is intended for graduate students and investigators who are engaged in biomedical research.
Clinical Ethics - ETHC 4001
This elective will provide a direct experience with clinical ethics. Students will be assigned a primary mentor with whom they will meet weekly. They will also spend time in clinical settings such as a medical intensive care unit, a burn unit, a chronic care facility, a hospice and other locations to be chosen by students. Students will keep a journal of ethical issues and problems that they will discuss with their mentors. During their month rotation, students will be expected to do appropriate reading. Clinical experiences will be at MetroHealth Medical Center. OBJECTIVE: To provide a concentrated experience with clinical ethics. DUTIES: Participation in ethics committee meetings, clinical rounds, and observation in various clinical settings. Keeping a log of ethical issues encountered. Appropriate readings will be selected by mentor based on area of interest. Weekly meeting with faculty members. PREREQUISITE: No prerequisites courses. However, students must meet with the sponsor two weeks before elective begins in order to plan and design their unique clinical experience. It is the student's responsibility to set up this meeting; without it, the clerkship cannot begin.
Clinical Information Systems - EBME (IIME473)
Technology has played a significant role in the evolution of medical science and treatment. While we often think about progress in terms of the practical application of, say, imaging to the diagnosis and monitoring of disease, technology is increasingly expected to improve the organization and delivery of healthcare services, too. Information technology plays a key role in the transformation of administrative support systems (finance and administration), clinical information systems (information to support patient care), and decision support systems (managerial decision-making). This introductory graduate course provides the student with the opportunity to gain insight and situational experience with clinical information systems (CIS). Often considered synonymous with electronic medical records, the “art” of CIS more fundamentally examines the effective use of data and information technology to assist in the migration away from paper-based systems and improve organizational performance. In this course we examine clinical information systems in the context of (A) operational and strategic information needs, (B) information technology and analytic tools for workflow design, and (C) subsequent implementation of clinical information systems in patient care. Legal and ethical issues are explored. The student learns the process of “plan, design, implement” through hands-on applications to select CIS problems, while at the same time gaining insights and understanding of the impacts placed on patients and health care providers.
Models of Health Care System - EBME (IIME446)
This course is for professionals who will pursue their careers in, or associated with, the health care industry; and therefore, need to understand the structure, operations and decision influences in the health care delivery system. The course is intended to develop competence and confidence in the participant's ability to understand and operate in the industry. the largest and, perhaps, the most complex in the United States. It is applicable to the private and public, profit and not-for-profit sectors. In this course students are introduced to: the different systems of care delivery; their organization and operations; their markets and the nature of the demand for their services; and the dynamics of their interoperation among themselves and with other entities in the industry (e.g., payors/insurers, regulators and accreditors, technology and pharmaceuticals suppliers). Offered as HSMC 446 and IIME 446.
Bio-Regulatory Affairs - BIOS 447
This mini-course introduces students to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the laws and regulations it enforces. A scientific regulatory agency with far reaching enforcement authority, FDA is the most powerful consumer protection agency in the world. This course will familiarize students with FDA's mission, philosophy and organizational structure, as well as policy and procedure it uses to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the food, drugs, biologics, cosmetics, medical devices and radiation-emitting products it regulates. Recommended preparation: Enrollment in the MEM Biomedical Entrepreneurship Track. Offered as BIOS 447, HSMC 447, and IIME 447.
College of Arts and Sciences
Contemporary Biology and Biotech for Innovation I - BIOL 491
The first half of a two-semester sequence providing an understanding of biology as a basis for successfully launching new high- tech ventures. The course will examine physical limitations to present technologies, and the use of biology to identify potential opportunities for new venture creation. The course will provide experience in using biology for both identification of incremental improvements, and as the basis for alternative technologies. Case studies will be used to illustrate recent commercially successful (and unsuccessful) biotechnology-based venture creation, and will illustrate characteristics for success. Admission to this course requires consent of the instructor.
Contemporary Biology and Biotech for Innovation II - BIOL 492
Continuation of BIOL 491, with an emphasis on current and prospective opportunities for Biotechnology Entrepreneurship. Longer term opportunities for Biotechnology Entrepreneurship in emerging areas, including (but not be limited to) applications of DNA sequence information in medicine and agriculture; energy and the environment; biologically-inspired robots; Prerequisite: BIOL 491.
Modern Physics for Innovation I - PHYS 491
The first half of a two-semester sequence providing an understanding of physics as a basis for successfully launching new high-tech ventures. The course will examine physical limitations to present technologies, and the use of physics to identify potential opportunities for new venture creation. The course will provide experience in using physics for both identification of incremental improvements, and as the basis for alternative technologies. Case studies will be used to illustrate recent commercialy successful (and unsuccessful) physics-based venture creation, and will illustrate characteristics for success. Admission to this course requires consent of the instructor.
Modern Physics for Innovation II - PHYS 492
Continuation of PHYS 491, with an emphasis on current and prospective opportunities for Physics Entrepreneurship. Longer term opportunities for Physics Entrepreneurship in emerging areas, including (but not be limited to) nanoscale physics and nanotechnology; biophysics and applications to biotechnology; physics-based opportunities in the context of information technology. Prerequisite: PHYS 491.
Feasibility and Technology Analysis - PHYS 493, BIOL 493. CHEM 493
This course provides the tools scientists need to determine whether a technology is ready for commercialization. These tools include (but are not limited to): financial analysis, market analysis, industry analysis, technology analysis, intellectual property protection, the entrepreneurial process and culture, an introduction to entrepreneurial strategy and new venture financing. Deliverables will include a technology feasibility analysis on a possible application in the student's scientific area.
Technology Based Venture Creation - PHYS 494
This course provides the advanced tools needed to develop, articulate, and launch a venture plan for a technology identified as likely to be successful through a feasibility analysis. Additional topics include: entrepreneurial strategy, communication, sales, negotiation, entrepreneurial finance, and leadership in an entrepreneurial environment. Guest speakers will be featured in nearly every class session. Prereq: BIOL 493 or CHEM 493 or PHYS 493.
Applied Patent Law - PHYS 495
This course is designed to equip STEM students with practical knowledge of patent law, the patenting process, intellectual property (IP) strategy and IP management. Specific areas of study include: law and policy of patents, requirements to obtain a patent, the anatomy of the patent document, patent portfolio strategies, preparing and filing a patent application, IP management and monetization, managing IP in a research and development environment, sponsored research and service agreements, trade secrets and their relationship to patents, and non-disclosure agreements.
School of Law
Venture Finance and Transactions - LAWS 5366
This course is designed to provide law students with the fundamentals of creating, offering and closing a technology venture transaction. In each case, the goal is to imbue students with both the legal and compliance requirements of the given strategic scenario, as well as the business and technical drivers behind the transaction. Prereq or Coreq: LAWS 4401.
Intellectual Property Venture Clinic - LAWS 6041
The IP Venture Clinic will provide students with the opportunity to represent start-up companies and entrepreneurs and focus on intellectual property protection, technology assessment, corporate formation, confidentiality agreements and trade secret protection, material transfer agreements, technology valuation, opportunity analysis, private securities offerings, and technology transactions. The clinic provides opportunities to work collaboratively with inventors, MBA students, licensing managers, outside counsel, and venture capitalists. Prereq: LAWS 4300 or LAWS 4302.
Intellectual Property Strategy - LAWS 5323
Intellectual property rights are legally created business assets used by companies to provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Companies use intellectual property differently depending on many factors, such as industry, business strategy, culture and maturity. Intellectual property attorneys are considered valuable members of business teams, contributing to business strategy, business planning and other executive level business decisions. Indeed, IP is a boardroom issue. This class will study the ways intellectual property is used by different companies and how the intellectual property laws impact not only the intellectual property assets, but also the business strategy and business planning. In addition to learning how intellectual property is being used by major corporations, universities, and entrepreneurs/start-ups, the students will pick one company and study how that company manages its intellectual property. Prereq: LAWS 4300 or LAWS 4302.
School of Medicine
Innovation and Entrepreneurship - CRSP 503
The purpose of this module is to acquaint and ultimately engage clinical researchers with the business of innovation and entrepreneurship. Goals include: (1) to provide researchers with many of the skills that they would need to translate academic research into commercial uses: (2) to sensitize clinical researchers to the goals of the business community and facilitate their ability to work with the private sector on technology development; and (3) to make clinical researchers aware of the processes of academic technology development and transfer. Sessions consist of a lecture and case discussion facilitated by one of the co-directors.