Exploring entrepreneurship in neuroscience: NeurotechEU Summer School is a wrap

The Radboud summer school courses offer participants from around the world the chance to deepen their expertise while expanding their professional horizons. One standout course was Entrepreneurship in Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, delivered fully online to a diverse group of 15 participants, the majority from the NeurotechEU Alliance.

Summer School programme

Throughout the week, students explored how to transform scientific insights into real-world impact. The programme combined a series of knowledge clips on entrepreneurship fundamentals, reflective discussions with hands-on workshops and a group project. Each day participants revisited earlier content and prepared for upcoming sessions, with each hands-on workshop allowing participants to iterate on their ideas culminating in a practical workshop on crafting and delivering the perfect elevator pitch.

The course was concluded on Day 5 with group presentations, where students pitched their innovative ideas developed over the week and submitted a Lean Canvas and short report to tie in the knowledge they learned from the course. This was followed by a feedback session and course wrap-up, ensuring everyone left with concrete insights and personal takeaways.

Summer School experiences

Course co-organiser Dr Ian Cameron was impressed by the students’ energy and passion:  “It was remarkable that the participants came from different starting points: some already working on entrepreneurial ideas, others curious about a career path towards industry, but all embraced the purpose of the course and dove full in to creating value for people with an unmet need.”

For many students, this was their first deep dive into the entrepreneurial side of science. Student feedback was very positive. Many described the course as an eye-opener that changed their perspective on neuroscience. 

Participant Batuhan Uygar, PhD student at the Karolinska Institutet mentioned: “I really liked that it was not just theory. But getting to work on an actual project -  to go through the full journey. It gave me a new mindset”

Get involved: Winter School coming up

Interested in more opportunities like this? Take a look at the upcoming Winter School in Reykjavik or get involved in other events.