Eight teams from throughout Ohio have been selected to take part in I-Corps@Ohio, a new program whose goal is turning university research into commercial products. The I-Corps@Ohio Program is a collaboration between Ohio State, the University of Akron, the University of Cincinnati, Lorain County Community College, Ohio University and the University of Toledo, according to a university news release. Two of the eight teams are from Ohio State.
One of the teams is led by Renukaradhya Gourapura, DVM, associate professor with OARDC’s Food Animal Health Research Program. He and his research team have recently developed a nanoparticle-based vaccine for swine influenza. Graduate student Santosh Dhakal, DVM, is the entrepreneurial lead for the team. BioHio President and CEO Shauna R Brummet is the entrepreneurial business mentor for the team.
Each team will receive up to $15,000 in funding. Throughout the next seven weeks, the teams will analyze whether or not their product has the potential to be the basis of a startup company, and if so, will begin planning for possible investors and partners.