Leadership Training
To meet the challenges facing agriculture, leaders are needed with a range of scientific and business skills.
The Challenge
In addition to an interest in basic research, many plant scientists today are motivated to find applications of their research to real world problems in agriculture. Scientists are highly educated, creative problem solvers who have had rigorous training in experimental methods in an academic environment. Typical development paths don’t include education in the leadership and soft skills used in an entrepreneurial or corporate environment.
The 2Blades Masterclass is designed to bridge this gap by teaching basic management and business skills to scientists during their postdoctoral training.
The Strategy
The program is broken into two stages:
Stage 1: An introductory training program with broad applicability for a technical business environment. Modules emphasize project management, communications, and leadership skills, as well as entrepreneurial basics, including finance, human relations, and intellectual property.
Stage 2: High-level seminars by industry leaders and successful biotech entrepreneurs. These seminars will allow students to see business principles put into practice and to network with leaders in their field.
This combined approach is designed to provide postdoctoral stage scientists with an interest in business leadership an opportunity to develop a strong foundation for delivering innovations in agriculture.