The INTENSE project is organizing a series of seminars and interactive workshops to train a new generation of responsible scientists-entrepreneurs. Experts from different fields will discuss essential topics to prepare you for starting a scientific business: patents, ethics, funding, medical device safety, quality control in device companies, from start-up to scale-up, marketing & sales, business development & communication, and going from an idea to a product. Apart from training, you will be introduced to an elaborate industry network that can provide internships and assist with the valorization process. Furthermore, INTENSE members can apply for patent- and seed funding. This curriculum consists of 8 seminars divided over a period of two years, with additional workshops in between. By attending the seminars, you will receive a certificate stating that you have completed the INTENSE scientist-entrepreneurship training course.
Upcoming seminars & workshops
No upcoming seminars or workshops are planned.
If you have any questions regarding the INTENSE curriculum, feel free to contact Samantha Wolff (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Umberto Olcese (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Note: INTENSE members have priority on attending the seminars/workshops in-person.
Looking for more?
In search of more interesting seminars and workshops? Thematical Technology Transfer (TTT) helps accelerate and improve the launching of start-ups and spin-offs. Lucky for us, they also offer free seminars and workshops! To expand your entrepreneurship knowledge, check out their upcoming events.
Past seminars & workshops:
Workshop: From Dream to Reality
March 11th 2022 15:00-17:30h @ Trippenhuis (Amsterdam)
Learn about the hurdles in setting up a business from Bert Monna (CEO Phosphoenix) and how to create a successful pitch from Sheila Schenkel (Best3minutes, ACE Incubator).
Seminar 1: Ethics and Neurotechnology (Karin Jongsma)
May 12th 2022 15:00-17:30h @ Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (Amsterdam) // Zoom
An interactive seminar by WP-D co-leader Karin Jongsma on the ethics of brain implants in humans.
Attendance is free, but in-person spots are limited (max. 25). Seminar also available on Zoom (unlimited).
Workshop: Turning Research Ideas into Medical Devices (Paul Theunissen)
May 31st 2022 14:00-17:30h @ Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (Amsterdam)
An exclusive interactive workshop by Paul Theunissen. After 10 years working in product development, in 2005 Paul accidentally became involved in ‘regulatory affairs’ and since then supports medical device start-ups with getting medical devices to the market. During this interactive workshop, Paul will discuss medical device regulatory landscape, device documentation, and quality systems. More information can be found here.
This workshop can only be attended in-person (max. 12 people). Costs are €15.
Seminar 2: Patents and IP Strategy (Yp Kroon & Martijn Vermeulen)
June 7th 2022 15:00-17:30h @ Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (Amsterdam) // Zoom
As a scientist, your research can lead to findings and inventions that can benefit the public. Your immediate thought may be to publish the idea in a scientific journal. However, there are other ways to publish that may be more convenient for future goals. The idea you wish to publish may also be commercially interesting, you could then consider patenting your idea. Patenting an idea does not exclude that it can still be published, at most that it takes place at a later time.
In this seminar, we will look at the importance and process of patenting. Which steps must be taken in order to obtain a patent, and which ideas are interesting to patent? We will lead you through the entire patent application process, so that you know who to consult when you come up with a striking invention. In addition, the patent literature is a useful source of information that is not yet widely used by researchers. We will therefore also help to navigate how you can best search for relevant patents in your field.
Last but not least - for INTENSE members, there is budget available to support you with your patent application. During this seminar, the Career Team will give a short explanation on how to apply for this.
Attendance is free, but in-person spots are limited (max. 25). Seminar also available on Zoom (unlimited).
Seminar 3: Open Science and IP for Neurotechnology (Nick Halper)
March 28th 2023 14:00-15:30h @ Zoom
Learn about the role of intellectual property (IP) in commercializing neurotechnology and how movements towards open science and collaboration interact with traditional forms of IP protection, such as patents. During this talk, we will review patent trends in neurotechnology, significant patents from the field, how investors and strategics view IP, and where patents and university work intersect at the tech transfer office. At the end, a case will be made for encouraging open science work in developing new neurotechnologies.
Nick Halper is CEO of Neuromatch, a large open science movement that got its start in neuroscience. He also works as a start-up advisor to a number of neurotechnology companies around the world after working with several teams as a co-founder. His work and specialty are primarily in working on company development strategies to help companies develop out in the open and in collaboration with others while maintaining strong business propositions.
Seminar available on Zoom (max. 100 participants).
Seminar 4: How to create successful teams (Maureen Mulvihill)
May 24th 2023 15:30-17:00h @ Zoom
About the seminar
We are pleased to announce an upcoming seminar featuring Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Actuated Medical. Dr. Mulvihill will share her insights on the critical elements of building and leading successful teams, with a specific focus on developing medical-grade devices within a team environment. As a seasoned entrepreneur in the medical industry, she brings invaluable experience to the discussion of team-building strategies. This seminar will benefit professionals seeking to optimize their neurotech teams, both in industry and academia, by fostering an environment that cultivates creativity and supports innovation.
About Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D.
Maureen L Mulvihill, Life Sciences Pennsylvania 2020 CEO of the Year, has been recognized over 35 times nationally and internationally for her entrepreneurial leadership. In 2017, she was a US delegate to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India. She has been appointed to the AdvaMed Board of Directors (BOD), AdvaMed Accel BOD and Life Sciences PA BOD to give voice to small emerging MedTech companies. She also sits on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Penn State Center for Biodevices and Kish Bank regional board. She is an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. She received her Ph.D. from Penn State.
About 16 years ago, she co-founded Actuated Medical on the entrepreneurial idea that electronically controlled motion can solve clinical needs and improve patient outcomes. By establishing an ‘internal’ start-up ecosystem, her team has the infrastructure to incubate creative ideas and quickly test them. Those ideas that demonstrate market potential are de-risked with an exit goal of independent acquisitions. Actuated is developing innovative motion® MedTech in neuroscience, critical care, pediatrics and GI. In 2021, Actuated doubled their footprint to accommodate a new contract research and manufacturing business unit. Actuated has 40 issued patents and has 6 FDA 510(k) clearances. Actuated is the recipient of a 2014 & 2020 SBA Tibbets Awards for SBIR commercialization excellence.
Seminar available on Zoom (max. 100 participants).
Seminar 5: Challenges and Experiences in Constructing a Neurotech Company (Ryota Kanai)
January 19th, 2024 10:30-12:00h @ Zoom
Over the past decade, I have focused on translating neuroscience into viable commercial applications. As the founder of Araya, Inc., a Tokyo-based startup, one of our initial goals was to create the neuroinformatic industry by providing an infrastructure for neuroimaging analysis services and pipelines. A more ambitious goal involved producing implantable devices to connect the brain to the internet and AI. Initially, my limited industry experience posed challenges in realizing these goals. Thus, I worked more on the practicalities of implementing deep learning for real-world applications. As Araya matured and I gathered more business acumen, our original visions were revisited. In 2020, I had the privilege of heading a project under Japan’s Moonshot Research and Development Programme. This opportunity allowed me to revisit the original research-oriented aspirations including the development of applications with non-invasive brain-machine interfaces (BMI). Our long-term aspiration in the Moonshot Project is to build a unique brain-to-brain communication paradigm, dubbed “X-Communication”. Additionally, we’re progressing towards the realization of an intravascular BMI. This presentation will highlight our current research progress and the invaluable lessons learned along this path.
Seminar available on Zoom (max. 100 participants).
More information about the INTENSE Project
The INTENSE project (short for Innovative Neurotechnology for Society) is an NWO crossover program that develops brain implants to improve the lives of people who are blind, deaf or paralysed, or who have epilepsy. The research combines the greatly increased knowledge about our brains with new possibilities within neurotechnology. The project connects a visionary team of world-renowned experts in neuroscience, technology, medicine, psychology and ethics to major neurotechnology companies and patient organizations.
INTENSE is one of the projects that has been awarded a grant of € 14.3 million from the NWO Crossover program, and is made up of members of the NeuroTech-NL organization, which is part of the TopSector Life-Science and Health roadmap.