# Development of an Educational Product for Accelerating Solutions for Commercialization and Entrepreneurial Development (ASCEND) in Western IDeA States

> **NIH NIH UT2** · NEW MEXICO START-UP FACTORY II, LLC · 2022 · $245,655

## Abstract

Project Summary
As a participant in the new IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development (I-RED) program, the goal of
this proposal is to create an educational product to promote entrepreneurism and commercialization in the
Mountain West region of IDeA states. The educational product and overall program are intended to address
the needs of IDeA state academic institutions in developing and strengthening technology transfer programs
to stimulate technological innovation and the needs of IDeA state investigators in translating scientific
discoveries and technologies from research laboratories into commercial products that improve human
health and promote economic growth in IDeA states.
Many factors limit the goal of successfully commercializing basic and translational science in IDeA states.
These include a lack of knowledge and understanding among innovators regarding how technologies are
brought to market, a lack of exposure to entrepreneurial and commercialization education, training, and
mentoring (in areas such as patents, startups, business plan development, venture capital and angel
investing), a limited knowledge of technology transfer processes and SBIR/STTR programs, and limited
resources in university Technology Transfer Offices.
To address these deficits, we will develop an entrepreneurship educational product that can be utilized by
academic institutions, especially those in IDeA states, to inspire, train, and support their students and
faculty to explore entrepreneurial opportunities. The product will consist of didactic and interactive forms
of courses, including manuals, case reports, and databases. These will develop and enhance academic
scientists’ entrepreneurial knowledge and skills such as patent filing, business plan development, capital
raising, bookkeeping, financial management, business operation, and marketing, ultimately enhancing
skills to compete for SBIR/STTR grants and to pursue entrepreneurial interests in academic
environments. The product will be developed through a rigorous research and development process
(including needs assessment, testing, validation and evaluation) and marketed for commercialization.
The goals of this application in Phase I are to: 1) Establish the Hub structure, governance, and leadership
plan; 2) Complete needs analyses, set product development goals, complete product design, develop
prototypes and effective plans for testing; 3) Develop pilot project funding opportunity announcements, solicit
applications, and establish processes to evaluate and select projects for funding; and 4) Implement an
evaluation plan to monitor Phase I progress. In Phase II, our goals are to: 1) Refine the educational product
through implementation and testing at academic institutions; 2) Fund Pilot Projects and validate the educational
product through Pilot Projects and SBIR/STTR application; 3) Develop and implement commercialization plans
for the educational product; and 4) Implement an evaluation plan to monitor...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10546242
- **Project number:** 1UT2GM148080-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW MEXICO START-UP FACTORY II, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** John Chavez
- **Activity code:** UT2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $245,655
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10546242

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10546242, Development of an Educational Product for Accelerating Solutions for Commercialization and Entrepreneurial Development (ASCEND) in Western IDeA States (1UT2GM148080-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10546242. Licensed CC0.

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