The “Translational Technology Pitch Competition” at SB3C2024 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin will highlight the excellent translational work within our research community. This year, we will have TWO presentation-style sessions where student- and faculty-level finalists will give brief pitches to a panel of academic and industry experts.

Expert Feedback:

Submitted abstracts will be reviewed based on product concept impact, clarity of development path, and overall mission. Selected abstracts will present their translational idea to a panel of industry and academic experts. The panel will cross-examine each team in a fast-paced series of questions before providing feedback on the technology, regulatory and business path forward.

Networking Event:

An industry/exhibitor networking event will offer opportunities for attendees, abstract presenters, panelists, and those interested in medical device development to connect. More information on this event will be posted in the upcoming months.

FAQs

See below for the full instructions and rules of the Translational Technology Pitch Competition.

The scope of this competition is intentionally broad to include a wide variety of different technologies, inclusive of physical devices, software, and biological technologies.  Abstracts must have a significant novel medical technology component and cannot simply be a presentation of data from an existing device or strictly a research project. The abstract and presentation will be judged based on the translational potential.

The scoring rubric includes the following assessment categories.

  1. Product need and market potential – How well is the overall product need and the specific requirements for the technology as specified by the customers? Both qualitative and quantitative requirements should be described. Has the team explained the potential market for such a technology ? The size and demographics of the potential market should be supplied, as well as a clear explanation as to why the proposed device fits the needs of that market.
  2. Technology utility and novelty – How well does the team describe their proposed technology? How well does the technology satisfy the customers’ needs? Has the team described the current state of art and how their product fits into the existing market? What aspects of the proposed technology make it especially useful and novel when compared to the existing market?
  3. Technical feasibility – Is the proposed technology based on logical and sound engineering analysis and judgment? Has the team addressed the major technical challenges and demonstrated a reasonable plan for solving them?
  4. Translational path – How well has the team thought through topics regarding manufacturing concerns, relevant regulatory bodies (e.g. FDA, CE, etc.), marketing strategy, and any anticipated risks to the technology and/or developmental pathway.
  5. Writing clarity and style – Is the two-page abstract clearly written? Is the language clear and free of grammatical and spelling errors? Are the concepts and ideas conveyed clearly and concisely to an engineering audience?

Finalists of the competition will be notified by April 15th, 2024.

Finalists selected to present in the Translational Technology Pitch Competition will present their pitch in one of two special podium sessions at the SB3C 2024 conference. One podium sesion is dedicated to student/trainee finalists. The other podium session is dedicated to faculty finalists. Each presenter will be given approximately a 10-minute period to describe their technology and translational plan. Presentations should focus on the overall story, need, and translational potential, pitches that focus too much attention on the technology alone will not be competitive. On-site judging of the presentations will be made by a group of experts representing industry and academic viewpoints. There are five criteria for judging the presentations (noted above). First and second place will be announced at the conference banquet.  All presenters must register and attend the conference.

Questions about the Translational Technology Pitch Competition should be submitted to Lyle Hood, PhD.