Reason #10 - You want to build something of lasting value

Another reason why the Venture Development Center is for you:

Inside your research program there is a venture screaming to be set free. A venture might include a subscription newsletter or journal, fee-for-service research, testing, or design operation, or even a product. Researchers rarely stop and think about what is possible.

Having a venture helps you meet the challenge of maintaining the capacity to continue to implement the ideas and approaches begun under a grant. It also helps your program officer show that what resulted from their investment and effort has value beyond the term of the grant.

Most sponsors these days aren’t simply dispersing money but casting a hard eye on results. They’re expecting impact long after their funding is withdrawn.

Most researchers are not prepared to deal with this. They tend to go from grant to grant assuming that just because their mission is worthy, or they achieve good results, their program will continue.

The VDC helps our partners meet this challenge. We begin by asking the right questions. Not at the end of a grant, when it is too late, but at the beginning, so progress can be tracked just like the other outcomes. We also help clients change the pitch they make to sponsors so they'll be more likely to invest.

We'll coach you through a pragmatic step-by-step, test-and-learn process that enables you to see and seize revenue opportunities. You'll learn how to build sustainability into your strategy. It will save you headaches and heartaches down the line.