New Cross-Campus Initiative: Biomedical Bridge BUilders

Biomedical Engineering and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute have established a new collaborative program, the Biomedical Bridge BUilders Initiative. It is designed to accelerate the commercialization of clinician-inspired medical device innovations by partnering with graduate engineering biodesign and product development teams.

Clinical care providers on the Medical Campus are invited to email short (one page or less) descriptions of a medical device clinical challenge. These descriptions may be an early product idea or a project that is already underway that could benefit from a team of graduate biomedical engineers (BME), trained in the biodesign product development process. Graduate engineers will work part-time under your clinical guidance while they complete their graduate studies at the College of Engineering. Applications may be submitted immediately with an official “Start Date” for the first projects of Sept. 2. Questions? Email bubridgebuilders@gmail.com.

Teams will consist of a BME faculty supervisor plus four BME students and graduate students from other BU Engineering Departments, if their specialty skills are required. All biomedical team members will have HIPAA training, and all necessary tests and inoculations to be approved as Clinical Observers at BMC. If your idea is selected, you will serve as the Primary Clinical Advisor to the team, meet with them on a regular basis, and serve as their sponsor for their Clinical Observership so that they can see the current Standard of Care firsthand.

Related IP resulting from inventions will be assigned to Boston University or BMC under current Patent Policies. Each initiative is expected to file at least one Invention Disclosure.