Dell Medical School Impact on Innovation: Biomedical and Life Sciences

Innovating new ideas, products and technologies is a key goal and among the top outcomes of any medical school. When it launched in 2014, Dell Med’s inaugural dean talked often about innovative new approaches to its life sciences, education and community health initiatives. The BBR research team has employed a mixed-methods approach to analyzing, quantifying and presenting innovation outcomes from Dell Med. This report is a synthesis of interviews (see Appendix for interview list) with key personnel at Dell Med and UT Austin involved in translating research into innovations that can be commercialized, as well analysis of data provided by UT Austin’s Office of Technology Commercialization. By exploring quantitative data and qualitative responses from key stakeholders, an important role for Dell Med is defined in the innovation ecosystem both on the UT campus and in Central Texas. Further, the case study presented in this report, plus findings from the Central Texas Life Sciences focus group and an associated survey, illustrate the impact that Dell Med has already had in just over eight years since its launch.