Grand Valley Magazine - (Page 24)

"The project will mean hands-on learning experiences for students, development opportunities for faculty members and advanced health care for the region." J. Kevin McCurren, executive director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Seidman College of Business facility and Grand Valley has one of the best up-and-coming biomedical programs in the country. It's a winwin. Students will have access to some of the greatest minds in the health care profession while bringing a fresh, new perspective to the table. I'm excited to be a part of it." Power Trio Each of the three organizations brings something unique to the project. Grand Valley is providing technical expertise through its faculty and students and access to a diverse knowledge base, including product design, prototyping and market assessment. SHI, a business venture within Spectrum Health, is providing opportunities and clinical knowledge and resources required to develop life-science products. GR Current, a business incubator for life sciences located in Grand Valley's CookDeVos Center for Health Sciences, is contributing resources to accelerate business growth. "It's a real powerful combination; we are like a power trio," said Jeff Royce, director of GR Current. "SpectrumCommunity T2 is unique in design and there are a lot of eyes on this set up. We've already been contacted by other organizations wanting to implement something similar." Royce said GR Current will provide access to a large database of resources for entrepreneurs. "This includes introductions to potential partners and clients and support groups like legal, accounting, prototype and design. It's a database of successful entrepreneurs waiting 24 Spring '14 for the next opportunity - qualified people who can take it to the next step," he said. The partnership with SHI was a logical one for Grand Valley, said McCurren. Grand Valley and SHI have collaborated on numerous projects. As part of their senior projects for graduation, engineering students help Spectrum identify potential solutions to problems. Students designed a medical device to secure tubes for people using a left ventricle assist device and another to harvest blood from cranial surgeries. "Spectrum-Community T2 is a system that creates value not only for each party involved, but for the community as well," said McCurren. "The project will mean hands-on learning experiences for students, development opportunities for faculty members and advanced health care for the region." New companies and jobs Spectrum-Community T2 offers educational and economic opportunities, said McCurren. He said because the project is integrated with both an engineering and MBA program it will be a feeder system for commercialization talent involving 10 to 30 students. He said with each successful idea and opportunity, the investment in the program will be returned to the Michigan economy. "Our goal is to create new companies and subsequent jobs for GR Current and West Michigan," McCurren said. SPECTRUM-COMMUNITY T2 at a glance GVSU INNOVATION TEAM SPECTRUM HEALTH INNOVATIONS GR CURRENT

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine

Table of Contents
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Art of the Possible
One Book Carries Discussions Beyond Classroom
One Million Hours
Power Trio Turns Ideas Into Companies
Research
Q&A Renee Freeman
Off the Path
Sustainability
Focal Point
Arts
Alumni News

Grand Valley Magazine