# STARTUP Central

> **NIH NIH UT2** · CONTINUUM EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES, PBC · 2024 · $1,474,925

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Continuum Educational Technologies’ (Continuum) will work with the University of Kansas (KU) on the
proposed I-RED program entitled Smart Tools to Accelerate Research Translation by Uplifting Participants for
the Central IDeA State Region (STARTUP Central) program to stimulate technological innovation in the IDeA
state regions by addressing the entrepreneurial educational needs of investigators in translating scientific
discoveries from research laboratories into commercial products that improve human health and promote
economic growth. Through the proposed effort, STARTUP Central will help the Central Region address a
persistent gap between its robust biomedical research activities and the development of a comparable pipeline
of academic entrepreneurs commercializing the many innovations resulting from this research.
Continuum’s proposed suite of educational products will provide a comprehensive, uniform, and assessable
mechanism for developing robust cultures of entrepreneurship within individual regional institutions, and will
provide a centralized mechanism for individual institutions to coordinate efforts, share resources, and develop
regional best-practices. These “smart” tools will seek to organize and systemize the abundance of information
and basic educational resources available regarding biomedical translation, employing educational psychology
principles for adult online learning to develop an integrated and effective curriculum from an otherwise
disparate and disconnected collection of resources and programming. Back-end analytics, user-feedback, and
evaluation features will be heavily embedded into the learning management system to provide users,
institutions, and Continuum with a means to continuously assess and improve the usability and effectiveness of
the educational tools and their content, as well as to assess and maximize the impact of the products on
individual users and the broader entrepreneurial culture of each institutional customer.
In Phase 1, Continuum and KU will work collaboratively to assemble the project consortium and make all
preparations to run the Phase 2 Pilot Project program. The team will work together to input content for and
design a wireframe model of the educational products. These wireframe products will then be initially tested,
iteratively redesigned, and initially validated. At the end of Phase 1, the validated wireframe educational
product will be ready for full enhancement and used in the two Pilot Project programs in Phase 2. Assessment
of the enhanced smart educational products to meet user needs in the two Pilot Project programs will be used
to iteratively redesign the educational products. At the end of Phase 2, the smart educational products and the
format of the Pilot Project program will be ready for commercialization.
Outcomes will be assessed based on enhanced entrepreneurship attitudes, confidence, and competency in the
program participants compared to the control. Metrics...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10914280
- **Project number:** 5UT2GM148086-03
- **Recipient organization:** CONTINUUM EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES, PBC
- **Principal Investigator:** Adam Courtney
- **Activity code:** UT2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,474,925
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-16 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10914280

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10914280, STARTUP Central (5UT2GM148086-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10914280. Licensed CC0.

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