Most companies fear competition from a rival’s product innovations and the risk of falling behind their industry’s technological frontier. Firms affected by such competitive pressure usually react by trying to strengthen their R&D capabilities and close the gap between their and their rival’s technologies as quickly as possible. But how exactly can firms catch up? Our research shows that rather than innovating from scratch in house or partnering with others in strategic alliances, the most effective solution may be to buy access to an already existing technology and incorporate it into your R&D.

PASADENA, Calif. and DURHAM, N.C., June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first, longest-tenured and pioneering owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced the winner of its inaugural $100,000 AgTech Innovation Prize that called on innovators with demonstrated novel approaches to agriculture-, food- and nutrition-related challenges, which are key to advancing human health. The prize was awarded to TerMir Inc., a North Carolina–based agtech company pioneering an innovative and environmentally safe treatment for citrus greening disease—one of the most devastating citrus diseases in the world. Citrus greening disease has resulted in a drop in citrus production and harvesting while driving up costs and job losses. In response to this presently incurable agricultural, environmental and economic challenge, TerMir has developed a cutting-edge and effective solution for breaking the greening cycle with the potential to eradicate the disease.

Alex Philippidis joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss the BioHealth Capital Region from a National viewpoint, other Hubs, and how the industry has adapted in the age of COVID-19.

Alex specializes in biopharma business news and industry issues for GEN. He joined GEN in 2011 after four years at GenomeWeb, where he covered research institutes and spent three years following biotech economic development as editor of the weekly newsletter BioRegion News. Alex reports a variety of news stories for GEN and Clinical OMICs and compiles the popular A-Lists series.

I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t in pain or run down with a cold. Whenever I was sick, friends would respond with “Again?,” and my personal brand became synonymous with doctor visits and chronic pain.

For the longest time, I thought there was a serious medical ailment that caused many of these problems. And when you can’t figure out the source of your pain, it’s easy to spiral into 500 new theories about why you’re experiencing discomfort.

Families often turn to dietary supplements inspired by nature with ingredients such as Elderberry, Vitamin C, and Zinc with the aim to help safely support their immune systems. A heightened awareness for the need to support your immune system throughout the year has resulted in an increased demand for products with immune-supporting and wholesome ingredients.*

To that end, we’re launching the Next in Naturals QuickFire Challenge on Immune-Support, calling on innovators to submit potential solutions inspired by nature that aim to support healthy immune systems in babies, children, or adults.

The innovator(s) with the best idea(s) will receive up to $50,000 in grant funding, one year of residency at an available JLABS, and the opportunity to engage with leadership from Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

Most of the young entrepreneurs I know are classic proof of the old adage that people tend to overestimate what they can do in a short period, and underestimate what they can do over a long period. They become frustrated when they are unable to build their startup over a weekend, and give up way too soon when the path to real success seems to be interminable.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

Paul Rothman, MD, CEO of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine and dean of the medical faculty at Johns Hopkins University, discussed the health system's COVID-19 data platform and the potential for artificial intelligence to make a difference in how health systems approach treatment in the future in an interview with The Media Line.

Since the pandemic began, Johns Hopkins has gathered COVID-19 data and reported it on a public dashboard for cases and deaths in the U.S. and across the world. Dr. Rothman said the health system is using artificial intelligence and machine learning in its platform and aims to collaborate with others to incorporate data in the future.

Late last week, bank regulators gave financial markets and the financial services sector a badly needed shot in the arm. Contrasting the Federal Reserve’s restriction on dividend payments by U.S. banks, the FDIC and the OCC among other bank regulators (including the Federal Reserve) approved the roll-back of provisions to the Dodd-Frank Act (a.k.a. The Volcker Rule). In addition to reducing the amount of cash banks have to set aside as collateral against potential swap losses, it opened the door for them to invest in private equity funds (including venture capital) and credit funds. Flush with previously restricted cash and new investment mandates, this could signal a new era for the relationship between emerging FinTech companies and the financial institutions they count as clients and partners. 

Image: Can banks manage their regained investment rights responsibly? © 2016 BLOOMBERG FINANCE LP

Summer has just begun, but health officials are already warning Americans that the fall and winter months ahead will likely be challenging. Once flu season begins, the U.S. will have to worry about not one, but two contagious viruses.

“The real risk is that we’re going to have two circulating respiratory pathogens at the same time,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during a TIME 100 Talks discussion with senior health writer Alice Park. “We know flu by itself can cause substantial morbidity and mortality and hospital utilization,” especially for elderly people and those who have underlying health conditions. With the new coronavirus wreaking devastation in these groups and others, “this could be really a very, very difficult situation.”

Image: https://time.com - From Video

LONDON (Reuters) - Sovereign wealth funds have participated in $17 billion of venture capital deals so far this year, already more than the entirety of 2019, as their appetite for long-term investment appears undimmed by the coronavirus outbreak.

The investments are against a backdrop of a generally subdued deal-making environment across the venture capital industry in the aftermath of the pandemic.

High achieving employees, those who routinely blow benchmarks out of the water, can be the most productive colleagues, yet difficult to retain. While a higher salary might be their stated reason for their departure, the lack of mentorship and murky path to leadership should not be overlooked as the cause. 

Instead of bickering about the superiority of specialists or generalists, why not recognise that creative strategies involve trade-offs?

Innovation is considered to be a sport for interdisciplinary brokers and boundary spanners these days. However, contrary to trends in the business literature, creativity is not always developed through a broad network. For winners of the highest accolades, like the Nobel Prize or the Fields Medal, deep commitment to narrow questions and a thorough understanding of a particular topic are essential to push boundaries into new frontiers.

The college admissions cycle that is (slowly) finishing for students entering in the fall has been unlike anything admissions officers have seen before. With campuses empty, colleges had to recruit admitted applicants without being able to do anything in person. A further complication was that most students applied before the pandemic but were asked to commit to a college as coronavirus spread. One way or another, the process is coming a close over the summer.

EU member states are still struggling to approve a list of “safe countries” from where travellers could visit Europe in July, with the issue now being put to a vote, diplomats said on Monday (29 June).

EU envoys on Friday agreed on a list of 14 countries to be confirmed by their national governments, with the United States, Brazil and Russia, where the coronavirus is still spreading, to remain excluded.

Image: Travelers wearing masks upon arrival at Palma de Mallorca Airport, which has been opened for travelers from most of Europe, Spain, 21 June 2020. (EPA-EFE/CATI CLADERA)

When the going gets tough, it’s common for some corporate VCs to head for the hills.

Today, it’s a narrative that’s emerging again amid the COVID-19 crisis. Global corporate venture deals fell from a total of 580 in April/May of 2019 to 486 in the same period this year, according to Global Corporate Venturing.

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - K-State Innovation Partners raised over $2.8 million in licensing revenue and over $2.1 million in facilitated sponsored research to Kansas State University.

K-State Innovation Partners says it ended the 2019 fiscal year with 70 invention disclosures, 15 patents and 26 licensed technology and fundraising provided over $2.8 million in licensing revenue and over $2.1 million in facilitated sponsored research to Kansas State University.

Image: (KWCH) - https://www.wibw.com

From the hotel terrace where he ate breakfast, Phil Pelzer could almost pretend nothing had changed. Yes, the maître d’ had aimed a temperature gun at his head before allowing him near the buffet. And he wouldn’t usually serve himself eggs in gloves and a mask.

But the friendly waitresses still addressed him in halting German, and the sun still warmed his pale, tattoo-covered arms. For Pelzer, a plumber from Alsdorf, Germany, who has long taken his annual vacation on the Spanish island of Mallorca, the important things were still in place. “There’s still sun, there’s still sand,” he said. “Maybe it’s not quite so much fun as before, but it’s still a holiday.”

(Bloomberg) — The world’s largest Black-led venture capital firm, Base10 Partners, just got bigger, raising $250 million to invest in startups and back a handful of initiatives designed to diversify the mostly-White industry.

The San Francisco-based firm plans to announce its second fund Friday at nearly twice the size of its previous one. Base10 also pledged to immediately and permanently donate 1% of management fees and 1% of the firm’s future profits to organizations focused on increasing racial justice and representation in tech.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, of which Belgium is a founding member, currently has the world’s largest particle accelerator on which it conducts research.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is 27 kilometers long, 100 metres underground, crossing the borders between Switzerland and France.

At the recent board meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, the idea of a new, larger particle accelerator was unanimously approved, phys.org reports. 

In the second episode of our “Entrepreneurship and Ethics” miniseries, Stanford professor Tom Byers connects with Theranos whistleblower Erika Cheung. Together, they explore how she found the courage to speak up, and why she’s starting a nonprofit organization focused on creating ethical toolkits for entrepreneurs.

Image: https://ecorner.stanford.edu