The Center for Entrepreneurship at Davis is sponsoring the intensive Food and Health Entrepreneurship Academy, designed for science and engineering students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty working on research in the fields of nutrition, food science, food technology, viticulture and enology, plant science, biochemistry, nutritional genomics and fields relevant to foods for health. Attendees will learn how to commercialize their research and explore business development opportunities before heading into a career in their industry or launching a new venture

Applications are available online and due by January 1, 2011. The academy will be held January 31, 2011 through February 4 at the UC Davis Conference Center. Registration is available at the Food and Health Entrepreneurship website, as well as additional information regarding cost and the academy agenda. 

The five-day business development academy provides participants with focused lectures, practical exercises, networking sessions, and hands-on experiences designed to give them the knowledge, skills, and networks to explore how their research can make a broader impact in industry, the marketplace, and the world.

The academy is taught by university faculty, venture capitalists, angel investors, industry executives, attorneys and entrepreneurs who can provide real-world expertise about developing a business plan and implementing strategies regarding your research. You can also benefit from the innovate format which combines seminars and networking sessions in order to develop a network of professionals who can help mentor and connect you as you move forward in your career. 

Not only will you explore how to commercialize your research, but you will learn how to communicate the broader potential of your work.  The week-long agenda includes sessions on development strategies, business validation, team and corporation building, intellectual property and funding, alongside social opportunities and mentoring sessions.