1©Steve Currall 2004 Enhanced Impact But More Headaches: Multi-University Collaboration Involving Entrepreneurship Programs Steven C. Currall, Ph.D. William and Stephanie Sick Professor of Entrepreneurship Associate Professor of Management, Psychology, and Statistics Founding Director, Rice Alliance For Technology and Entrepreneurship Rice University

2©Steve Currall 2004 What Are Central Challenges Involved in Multi- University Collaboration?

3©Steve Currall 2004 Strategic Dilemmas and Challenges… Picking a counterpart institution as a partner: “Birds of a feather flock together” or “opposites attract?” Should one focus on similar or complementary resources? Do the institutions share a common vision for collaboration? Do the institutions share equal enthusiasm for the collaboration? Securing support? “Bottom-up” or “top-down?” In other words, start with chief executives? Or, with faculty boundary spanners? Stipulating financial outcomes: How to split the pie? Stipulating non-financial outcomes: Agreement on programmatic metrics?

4©Steve Currall 2004 Interdisciplinary challenges such as among science, engineering, business, and medicineInterdisciplinary challenges such as among science, engineering, business, and medicine Inter-occupational challenges such as between professors, administrators, physicians, business persons, investorsInter-occupational challenges such as between professors, administrators, physicians, business persons, investors Communication challenges associated with collaborations that span geographical distances: Cities? States? Countries?Communication challenges associated with collaborations that span geographical distances: Cities? States? Countries? Challenges associated with collaboration between public and private institutions:Challenges associated with collaboration between public and private institutions: Different institutional missions? Different stakeholder groups? Different rank ordering of importance of various stakeholder groups? Different budgetary procedures and calendars? Do boundary spanning individuals have the “bandwidth” to launch and develop the program? (What about leadership attrition from stress-related heart attacks!?) Implementation Challenges…

5©Steve Currall 2004 A Case Study An Effort to Assemble a Multi-University Collaboration Focusing on Commercial Product Creation in Science, Medicine, and Engineering: The Rice Alliance For Technology and Entrepreneurship and Three Institutions in Houston’s Texas Medical Center

6©Steve Currall 2004 Multi-University Collaboration Focusing on Product Creation in Science, Medicine, and Engineering “Problem Domain” expertise (Market opportunity analysis or, e.g., for medical applications, clinical practice needs) “Solution Domain” expertise (Technologies based on science or engineering innovations) “Execution Domain” expertise (Business and management expertise required to successfully launch and operate a new business) Source: S. Currall, D. Schomer, D. Watkins Rice Alliance

7©Steve Currall 2004 Collaborating Institutions Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship University of Houston, UTMB – Galveston, Texas A&M U.T. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

8©Steve Currall 2004 Four Institutions Have Complementary Assets Expertise in the “Problem” domain Expertise in the “Solution” domain Expertise in the “Execution” domain Clinical Practice areasBasic SciencesEngineering Business School Tech Transfer Seed Funding Rice University Multiple Baylor College Medicine Multiple + MD Anderson Cancer Center Multiple UT Health Science Multiple

9©Steve Currall 2004 What Are the Lessons Learned Based on Your Experience in Multi-University Collaboration?