Recommendations from the 2012 and 2017 CSO Summits

Community college CSOs and incubators in 2012 and 2107
Image from the 2017 CSO Summit report

Two summits, convened and hosted by the Bio-Link National Center and the AC2 Regional Bio-Link Center, were held in 2012 and 2017.

The summits provided valuable information about the future direction of community college bioscience CSOs and incubators.  Summit participants acknowledged that these innovative programs give students incredible opportunities to learn the skills they will need in the workplace. 

Summit Recommendation I
Form a Bioscience CSO/incubator network to coordinate, collaborate, and centralize functions such as marketing, communications, distribution of contract work to where expertise exists, funding strategies, and contracting advice.
     
     Suggested goals for the network:

  • Create and market a national bioscience CSO/incubator network

  • Identify and connect leaders to grow and sustain the network   

  • Create a venue for the exchange of ideas

  • Develop and share strategies to network with industry

  • Develop and share strategies to leverage institutional capacity

  • Develop ways to include high school students and teachers

  • Share innovative funding strategies

  • Develop metrics that provide evidence of success

  • Offer faculty professional development

  • Develop a CSO/incubator toolkit

 
Summit Recommendation II
Develop a comprehensive CSO/incubator toolkit that will support the creation and expansion of CSOs and incubators and serve as a “living” repository of best practices, tools and techniques.

There are a wealth of resources that have already been developed by established CSOs and incubators and organizations like the National Business Incubation Association (inBIA) that can be brought together and organized in a “toolkit.”   

     Suggested goals for the toolkit:

  • Develop a realistic framework or timeline to create a CSO/incubator
  • Create a repository for best practices, like Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), industry contacts, soft skill training tools, equipment lists, technical capabilities, copies of awarded grants for start-up.
  • Identify ways to get administration involved, such as demonstrating the metrics that will help them justify support for a CSO/Incubator model
  • Provide evidence of effectiveness, such as anecdotal success stories, internship and hiring data, educational outcomes, positive industry feedback, and college recognition through awards or press coverage.

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