Abstract

The Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology (DEB) graduate program is the largest crossdisciplinary doctoral program at UC Davis, encompassing 29 disciplines and training over 200 students in bioentrepreneurship annually. Core coursework includes foundational training in biotechnology and team science, a bioentrepreneurship seminar series, training in bioethics and an industry internship. Personalized mentoring and professional development activities that emphasize leadership, science communication and entrepreneurship have been keys to the growth and success of the DEB, including the recruitment and retention of ~20% students from underrepresented backgrounds. Institutional support has allowed DEB program directors to build and sustain this unique model program through extramural training grant awards and the cultivation of public-private partnerships. A case study of the DEB is presented to encourage the development of similar cross-disciplinary doctoral programs in bioentrepreneurship.

Keywords: Bioentrepreneurship, designated emphasis in biotechnology program, cross-disciplinary doctoral program, bioethics, public-private partnerships, extramural training grant awards.