The CRG BioBusiness School is a highly interactive, activity-driven learning process that takes scientists through a concentrated entrepreneurial immersion experience; aiming to instil an entrepreneurial mindset and to ignite the ability to convert lab-ideas into business ones.
The core of the program takes you through the venture building process in small groups of participants; supported by exchange with entrepreneurs and business experts culminating in a pitch event. This online experience, designed by the CRG Technology Transfer and Training office, with the special collaboration of the PROTrEIN project, provides valuable resources such as business templates, educational material and a communication channel to capture and maximise the inputs and outputs of the event.
Participants benefits You will benefit from building an entrepreneurial skillset that will give you the capacity and confidence to pinpoint the added commercial value of your research as well as to envision the creation of your own business. Furthermore, if you decide not to follow the path of entrepreneurship, these competencies are greatly sought after by corporates, NGOs and the public sector - and as such, you will gain an advantage in the job market. The online format of the program widens the networking opportunities with national and international fellows, allowing you to establish bonds with other participants and invited speakers. Besides work, there will also be fun activities to keep the group stimulated and engaged.
University of Johannesburg Technology Transfer Office
ProMark Bootcamp
The UJ TTO ProMark Bootcamp is a highly interactive, activity-driven learning process that helps participants build on their ventures in two ways:
- Building a prototype to validate their solution with customers
- Building and validating a funnel-driven sales system as a process to drive their revenue model
Participants will elect one of the two streams upon which to focus before the bootcamp commences. However, throughout the event, there will be sharing between the two streams to ensure learning of both concepts for all participants.
The Entrepreneurial Scientist Bootcamp is a high-energy, hands-on experience that helps postgraduate researchers and scientists turn ideas from the lab into real business opportunities. Over five intensive days (spread across two weeks), you’ll immerse yourself in an online venture-building journey, supported by the Mashauri Campus and Zoom. The program mixes interactive lectures, guest speakers, and “Knowledge Dives” with plenty of team-based work. You’ll not only sharpen your entrepreneurial mindset but also learn how to structure, test, and grow a business idea using lean startup tools.
You’ll join a small, diverse team to develop one of the venture ideas submitted by participants. That means you may be working on your own idea—or someone else’s—but either way, you’ll gain valuable exposure to new fields, practical problem-solving, and the process of shaping a raw concept into a viable business. Along the way, you’ll hear from entrepreneurs and experts, build your venture step-by-step, and culminate with a pitch event where your team presents to experienced judges and investors. It’s an action-packed, collaborative, and fun learning environment designed to push you outside your comfort zone and reward curiosity, creativity, and commitment.
The bootcamp is more than just a short course—it’s a career-shaping experience. You’ll walk away with a toolkit for entrepreneurship, insights into intellectual property and funding, a network of like-minded peers, and a certificate from Mashauri and the Max Delbrück Centre to recognize your achievement. Past programs have had great success in fields like food science and health science, and participants often describe it as an exciting, life-changing journey. If you’re ready to explore how your research can make real-world impact and want to challenge yourself in a fast-paced environment, this is your opportunity to bridge science with business.