Entrepreneurship at the School of Medicine

The Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE) [Formerly the Office of Translation and Innovation (OTI)] at CWRU School of Medicine works to foster commercialization, build relationships with pharmaceutical and biomedical device corporations, and develop strong partnerships in biomedical research at all levels. The office serves to assess and advise investigators with supported projects, to educate faculty, fellows and graduate students in technology transfer and development of research ideas, and to move promising candidates quickly from discovery to development. Our approach includes:

  • Building technologies by providing strong pre-clinical development programs
  • Attracting capital using CWRU endowment and state grants as a foundation to attract partner investors
  • Supporting the development of people by actively building entrepreneurship
  • Translational research support programs

Explore Resources through the OIE

CWRU Venture Mentor Program

The CWRU Venture Mentor Program (CVMP) provides team mentoring to CWRU and affiliate young faculty, students, and staff from a pool of local experts in a wide range of industries. Our process stems from the MIT Venture Mentor Service, a hugely successful program that has spawned over 100 similar programs across the U.S and around the world. Their processes are shown to provide a more likely chance that the venture will succeed, and that mentoring works best in a conflict-free, confidential, safe environment.

Learn more about CVMP

Translational Fellows Program

Translational Fellows Program (TFP) was created to set aside time for budding entrepreneurs to pursue entrepreneurial efforts that they might normally have the time and resources for. Fellows selected for this competitive program are given 20% salary support to protect the fellow’s time to allow them to participate in CVMP, workshops, seminars and focus on the business end of their projects. The first year has welcomed 17 fellows from across CWRU and our affiliates.

Explore our Fellows