WRCB, IIT Bombay: Commercializing Deep-Tech Innovation

The Wadhwani Research Centre for Bioengineering (WRCB) at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), established in 2014 with support from the Wadhwani Foundation, entered its transformative second phase after a successful initial five years. With over 40 professors from nine departments involved, WRCB’s phase one had yielded 316 publications and 38 patent applications and spawned two entrepreneurial ventures. Heading phase two were Debjani Paul, the professor in charge, and Abdur Rub, the chief executive officer, who were focused on propelling deep-tech research toward commercialization. As the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic subsided in late 2021, Paul and Rub looked toward the future with new hope and clear goal: to enable academic researchers to secure follow-on funding crucial for sustaining momentum beyond WRCB’s initial catalytic support. This initiative aimed to cement WRCB’s status as a global leader in bioengineering translational research, bridging academia and industry to overcome funding gaps and nurture innovation in a dynamic academic setting.

<div style="font-size: 0.93em; line-height: 1.4;"><p align="justify">This case is suitable for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in entrepreneurship, innovation management, and leadership and strategic management. It is also relevant for courses focused on translational research, bioengineering, and academic entrepreneurship, providing insights into sustainable growth in the academic entrepreneurial ecosystem and effective leadership initiatives at both individual and organizational levels.</div><br><div style="font-size: 0.95em; line-height: 1.4;"><p align="justify">The case examines strategic and operational hurdles encountered by a deep-tech support organization within India’s evolving ecosystem and focuses on funding obstacles and strategies for commercializing research. It outlines essential factors for successfully transitioning deep-tech innovations from research phases to commercial viability through effective resource allocation by an entrepreneurial support organization (ESO). After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br><ul><li>Outline the journey of deep-tech innovations and define technology readiness levels (TRLs) in the research translation journey.</li><li>Explain the need for an ecosystem for translating fundamental research into deep-tech innovations.</li><li>Define the importance of various stakeholders during different phases of research commercialization.</li><li>Explain the roles of an ESO, the interface between an ESO and the host institute, the evolving organizational structure and processes of an ESO, and the challenges faced by ESOs in supporting translational research.</li></ul>

• deep tech
• bioengineering
• WRCB IIT Bombay
• innovation management
• entrepreneurship
• translational research
• commercialization
• funding challenges
• academic research
• research translation
• technology readiness
• stakeholder importance
• ecosystem development
• ESO roles
• organizational structure
• resource allocation
• strategic management
• leadership
• patent applications
• COVID-19 impact
• entrepreneurial ecosystem
• research commercialization