Drive the Future of Translational Research with the CBC
Your expertise can make a lasting impact on Chicagoland’s biotech ecosystem. By serving on the Chicago Biomedical Consortium’s Scientific or Venture Boards, you will support our endeavors and play a pivotal role in advancing groundbreaking research, mentoring the next generation of bio-entrepreneurs, and shaping Chicago as a major hub for translational science. The boards will convene as necessary to support project advancements.
The Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) will present awards to faculty across nine Chicagoland institutions: the CBC Accelerator Award and the CBC Hub for Innovative Technology and Entrepreneurship in the Sciences (CBC-HITES) CHI-Town Commercialization Award and Windy City Innovation Award. These awards aim to support the most promising translational research, accelerating the journey of therapeutic discoveries from university laboratories to the market. We would greatly value your support in making this initiative a success!
About the Roles:
The CBC is seeking experienced professionals to join our boards and help evaluate projects with high translational and commercial potential. Board members will:
- Dedicate just a few hours each quarter for virtual meetings
- Review promising research proposals and investment theses prepared by CBC Entrepreneurial Fellows (EFs)
- Help identify projects with strong potential for follow-on funding and commercialization
Click HERE to Register for the Board
Benefits of serving on a board:
In addition to reviewing cutting-edge translational projects from our member institutions and selecting projects based on the therapeutic potential of the basic biomedical discoveries, participating as a member of the CBC boards would allow you to meet with colleagues and directly contribute to shaping Chicago as a major center for translational research.
You can help connect the CBC to the network outside our university walls, contributing not only to Chicagoland’s burgeoning biotech ecosystem but help develop the EFs who will be the next generation of bio-entrepreneurs in our ecosystem.
Overview of the award review process:
- For each of our awards, faculty submit a letter of intent (LOI) to the CBC, which is screened for interest. The most promising LOIs are evaluated, and our findings are presented to a Scientific Review Board
- Accelerator Award and the CHI-Town Commercialization Award applications that move through the initial evaluation are assigned to an EF team who will work with the faculty member to develop an ‘investment thesis’
- This ‘investment thesis’ will undergo extensive diligence before being submitted for Venture Board review
The Scientific Review Board, gathered ad-hoc for every project, will:
- Dedicate approximately two hours to review proposals and offer feedback
- For CBC-HITES Windy City Innovation and CHI-Town Commercialization applications, reviewers will be asked to provide their feedback by taking a brief survey and scoring projects using a provided rubric
- For Accelerator Award applications, reviews are collected verbally from the review board meeting
- Reviewers will be provided slide decks to review ahead of the meeting
- We suggest connecting with CBC EFs and staff outside of formal meetings to help identify gaps in faculty members’ research and provide feedback
The Venture Board will meet once a quarter, as project diligence is ready, and will:
- Allocate two hours to deliberate on specific proposals and determine funding decisions
- The board will discuss a select number of proposals
- These proposals will have gone through one round of discussion during the Scientific Review Board and extensive due diligence by the CBC
- Board members will be provided with dossiers before the meeting
We suggest board members:
- connect with CBC EFs outside of formal meetings to help identify gaps in faculty members’ research
- advise CBC Executive Director on how award applicants can best position their research for future funding
More about this opportunity:
- Participation in the CBC Scientific and Venture Boards is voluntary
- Board meetings are conducted virtually and are generally held for two hours or less
- There is no minimum or maximum commitment required
- No confidential information will be presented during Board meetings, and you are not required to sign a confidentiality agreement to participate
Click below to join our distinguished boards of experts driving Chicago’s biotech innovation.
Click HERE to Register for the Board