YOUR RESEARCH CAN HAVE MASSIVE IMPACT BEYOND A TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC PATH. IN THE RESEARCHER TO INNOVATOR PROGRAM, YOU'LL LEARN HOW TO GET YOUR BIG IDEAS OUT INTO THE WORLD.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

MEET THE EXPERTS

Callum Benson - New Ventures Manager at Monash Innovation. Early employee of Cambridge University startup

Fiona Lewis - Facilitator and startup program expert

Ben Ting - Advisor on technology development strategies

Helena Fern - Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Lead at Monash University

Jordan Thurgood - New Ventures Advisor and Founder of two startups

Peter Laurie - Entrepreneur in Residence at Monash Generator

Maria Harrison Smith - Senior Manager of Intellectual Property at Monash University

...plus many more

IS RESEARCHER TO INNOVATOR RIGHT FOR YOU?

This is the right fit if you...

• Are a PhD, Post-Doc or Researcher currently at Monash University
• Have a genuine interest in taking your idea or research down a commercial pathway
• Have already taken some steps to exploring this, from googling how to start a company, speaking with potential partners or customers or developing prototypes of your idea (napkin sketch through to functional prototype or event a patent pending)
• Have been struggling to find a community that supports entrepreneurial ventures in research
• Are motivated to work on your idea, make progress and build your unique commercialisation plan

THE COMMITMENT

Think this is a program you can pop in and out of? Think again.

We commit to…

Delivering the most relevant content and exercises to you week in, week out to help you be in a much stronger position on your commercial pathway at the end of the program. We will bring in the best people, we will make sure this is an open and inclusive forum to ask any questions and most importantly, we will be relentlessly focused on your journey as a researcher to becoming an innovator.

You commit to…

• Turning up every week with an open mindset accepting that there’s a lot to learn about how to commercialise your research and we’re here to help.
• Commit to your cohort to share your learning, hold each other accountable and progress your idea.
• Turning up on time, every week and put your work and research aside each session to fully focus on this.
• Own your learning journey fully. This means using the resources available to you throughout the program, such as one-on-one coaching, bonus workshops, pitching classes and many, many resources!
• Most importantly, you commit to exploring the commercial pathway of your research with great intent, even if the answer at the end of the program is that it’s maybe not the right path for you… knowing that you gave it your all.

Time commitment

Compulsory

• ONE 90-minute Masterclass every week
• ONE 45-minute group session (Zoom or real life - you choose!) to go through the homework and share learnings

Optional

• One-on-one coaching with a program facilitator/expert
• Bonus workshops that deep dive into commercialisation topics
• Pitch coaching workshop with feedback from experts
• Pitch to investors (see note below)

Bonus Investor Pitch

Projects will be invited in the investor pitch held at the end of the program based on their desire to pitch, their progress and attendance throughout the program. You must attend at least one pitch practice session, you cannot skip masterclasses, fail to make progress on your project or ignore the advice of the experts and expect a place to pitch to the investors.

KEY DATES

R2I: COMMERCIALISATION MASTERCLASS

Not sure if Researcher to Innovator is right for you? Want a chance to get a feel for the commercialisation space before jumping all in?The Monash New Ventures Team and Monash Generator will also be running a Commercialisation Masterclass throughout the year specifically designed for researchers to explore what commercialisation looks like at Monash University or are working on a project that has commercial potential. We strongly encourage anyone looking to apply to the Researcher to Innovator program participate in one of these Masterclass prior to the program.

The following topics will be covered in each Masterclass:

• Competitive advantage
• Intellectual Property
• Commercialisation pathways  including licensing, spinouts and consulting, and
• Time for Q+A

These free, 90 minute sessions will primarily be held in-person at the Monash Generator co-working space on Clayton campus, with the occasional virtual session.

These Masterclasses are currently only open to Monash researchers (including PhD students, Masters by Research students, PostDocs and Academic staff) and Monash Professional staff. If you are interested in participating but don’t fit into the eligibility criteria, please contact Fiona Lewis (fiona.lewis@monash.edu). You do not need to be actively working on a project that has commercial potential to participate in these Masterclasses.

These Masterclasses are free to attend, however places are limited so make sure to register: https://events.humanitix.com/researcher-to-innovator-masterclass

FAQS