Discovery to Commercialization Program for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (D2C: SAPT)

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Project Summary There has been critical underinvestment in Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and continuing to rely on the same approaches is not working. In this proposal, we actively seek to support disruptive innovations to stem the rising tide of SUDs and stimulate progress. Such disruptions are most likely to come from those actively engaged in treating and advancing knowledge of SUDs. But many in a position to do so are not aware of or see value in discovery commercialization. Our overarching goals are to have more basic scientists think like entrepreneurs and to have access to the resources they need to engage in the commercialization processes. Through our proposed tasks, we will develop and deliver entrepreneurship education that is curated for basic science researchers, empowering them with the tools they need to commercialize their discoveries, disruptively innovate, and advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of SUDs. The Discovery to Commercialization Program for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (D2C: SAPT) curriculum will be systematically developed, implemented, and evaluated during this 5-year grant period. The cornerstone of the proposed initiative is a new Certificate in Entrepreneurship at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School (Aim 2). This program will leverage our experience in teaching entrepreneurship to scientists at Johns Hopkins and be customized to SUD researchers. The asynchronous online modules developed for the certificate program will be distributed widely (Aim 1), and through our educational efforts we will intentionally build (Aim 3) and diversify (Aim 4) the community that can support translation of discovery to market and impact SUDs. This will be a specialized program for SUD researchers aimed at scientists at all career levels that is grounded in theoretical frameworks and complemented by professional education related to entrepreneur identity formation and community building. D2C: SAPT will comprise three parts: asynchronous modules consisting of topics in ideation, market discovery, intellectual property, regulatory strategy, business, and financial modeling, an in-person multi-day workshop comprising observations in SUD clinics, conversations with stakeholders, design, and prototyping, and a mentored experiential learning component culminating in a pitch competition. Program graduates will be equipped to apply for translational funding, patents, and to license intellectual property or launch companies. More broadly, they will be part of a large virtual community of researchers and practitioners and will play a role in transforming the culture of academic scientists. With a keen understanding of the gaps that exist in the SUD field, the types of innovations that are possible, and the process needed to train scientists in moving their discoveries to market, this training program will have substantial public health impact by facilitating the launch of projects that move clinical practice in SUD to the next generation of solutions.