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ECHO Discovery Program
Interested in cardiovascular health ideation and research translation? Considering entrepreneurship, but aren’t sure how to get started?
Eligibility
ECHO Discovery is for fourth-year undergraduate students and graduate students enrolled in a Canadian university as well as post-doctoral and clinical fellows affiliated with any Canadian institution. It is designed for those interested in exploring research translation and entrepreneurship within the cardiovascular health sector but who may be unsure how to proceed.
No ideas, start-ups, or previous experience necessary!
Participants must attend the orientation sessions (January 2025), engage in each program element for six months, and join at least 80% of associated workshops and fireside chats.
Call for Applications – 2025
We have opened our call for applications for ECHO Discovery’s 2025 cohort — please apply here by Nov. 24th.
- Applications deadline: November 24, 2024
- Notification of program acceptance: December 2024
- Program orientation: January 2025
- Program elements: January – June 2025
About ECHO Discovery
ECHO Discovery enables you to:
- Gain fundamental entrepreneurship skills and research translation expertise
- Learn from a diverse and multi-sector group of mentors and key opinion leaders
- Join an elite network of early-career entrepreneurs and researchers
- Explore opportunities to further your career within the cardiovascular space and beyond
Our entrepreneurship education program will:
- Provide students, trainees and investigators with an introduction to ideation, entrepreneurship and research translation through theoretical and experiential training
- Support a culture of research translation while igniting startup formation within the cardiovascular space
- Inspire and facilitate new cardiovascular ventures to enroll in our ECHO program, a specialized experiential training program providing entrepreneurship training, mentoring, networking, and funding opportunities to innovators within the cardiovascular space.
About
ECHO Discovery is funded and organized by the Translational Biology & Engineering Program and TRANSFORM HF, at the University of Toronto and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.
For more information on the ECHO Discovery program, please contact Andrea Hung: admin.tbep@utoronto.ca
Program Overview
ECHO Discovery is comprised of three foundational elements to support your journey.
Element I: Ideate
Learn how to ground your ideas into innovation through an interactive ideation workshop series
In collaboration with MaRs, ECHO Discovery will introduce participants to key aspects of the ideation process through a series of two-hour experiential workshops facilitated by veteran entrepreneurs.
Teams formed during this element will ideate an innovative cardiovascular health solution and have the opportunity to pitch their idea for a chance to win $500.
Workshop topics include:
- Teambuilding: Building a Team Charter
- Ideation: Brainstorm & Decision
- Customer Discovery & Writing a Value Proposition
- Marketing Assets: Market Segment & Size
- Pitch Training
Element 2: Inspire
Stoke the spark of inspiration through fireside chats with leaders in the field
Through a series of virtual fireside chats with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders, participants will:
- Hear firsthand accounts of becoming an entrepreneur in the cardiovascular health sector and beyond
- Learn about challenges and opportunities
- Pick up hard-won tips, key lessons and smart strategies in navigating the path to innovation and implementation
Element 3: Immerse
Soak up first-hand experience through shadowing/mentorship opportunities
A select group of participants will have the opportunity to shadow and/or receive mentorship from a start-up/early commercial stage company for up to 10 hours, and gain valuable insight into launching and running a health/life sciences venture. More details will be shared with participants upon their acceptance into ECHO Discovery.
For more details on each element and the program schedule, please see the ECHO Discovery 2025 Brochure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to participate in ECHO Discovery?
All fourth-year undergraduate students and graduate students enrolled in a Canadian university as well as post-doctoral and clinical fellows affiliated with any Canadian Institution are eligible. Applicants must be interested in exploring research translation and entrepreneurship within the cardiovascular health sector but have limited understanding of how to proceed. No ideas, start-ups, or previous experience are required to participate.
What are the time commitments for being a participant in ECHO Discovery?
ECHO Discovery trainees are expected to participate in the following from January to June:
- Element-1: Ideate – five 120-minute Ideate virtual workshops occurring approximately once every three weeks
- Element-2: Inspire – four 60-minute Inspire fireside chat sessions occurring approximately once per month
- Element-3 – Immerse* – Up to 10 hours of shadowing experience with a relevant start-up/early commercial stage company (*only for select participants)
What are the key dates and deadlines for ECHO Discovery?
- Call for applications: October 17, 2024
- Applications deadline: November 24, 2024
- Notification of program acceptance: December 2024
- Program orientation: January 2025
- Program elements: January – June 2025
Do I need to have a startup company, an entrepreneurial idea, or product to enroll in ECHO Discovery?
No previous experience with startups or entrepreneurship is required.
What are the benefits of being in the ECHO Discovery program?
Benefits of being in the ECHO Discovery program include:
- Gain fundamental entrepreneurship skills and research translation expertise
- Learn from a diverse and multi-sector group of mentors and key opinion leaders
- Join an elite network of early-career entrepreneurs and researchers
- Explore opportunities to further your career within the cardiovascular space and beyond
What is the difference between ECHO Discovery and ECHO?
A key mission of ECHO Discovery is to inspire and facilitate the enrolment of its interested graduates into the ECHO program. To learn more about ECHO, please visit: tedrogersresearch.ca/echo
| ECHO Discovery Program | ECHO Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Guides an introductory exploration of research translation and entrepreneurship within the cardiovascular health sector | Provide innovators of cardiovascular technologies with entrepreneurship training, mentorship, networking, and funding opportunities |
| Target Audience | Those with minimal to no experience with ideation, research translation, entrepreneurship, and startup formation | Those who are developing a technology or innovation that they intend to commercialize and/or have a startup within the cardiovascular space |
| Program Duration | 6 months | 12 months |
Do I need to complete ECHO Discovery before applying to ECHO?
No, it is not required to complete ECHO Discovery before applying to ECHO. However, it is our hope that some of the participants who complete ECHO Discovery will be able to successfully transition to the ECHO program in the future.
What are the next steps after the ECHO Discovery program?
While we hope that some participants of ECHO Discovery will continue on with the ECHO program in the future, we know that is not the only pathway! There are a number of other campus accelerators, incubators and think tanks related to entrepreneurship.
Will the program be delivered in-person or virtually?
Elements 1 and 2 will be held virtually. Depending on the location of the trainee and the host company, the trainee may have the opportunity to participate in Element 3’s shadowing/mentorship activities in–person or virtually.
What are the enrollment costs for ECHO Discovery?
There are no enrollment costs or fees associated with the ECHO Discovery program.
Is ECHO Discovery a certified program?
At this time there is no formal certification with ECHO Discovery.
Is ECHO Discovery affiliated with the University of Toronto?
ECHO Discovery is funded and organized by the Translational Biology & Engineering Program and TRANSFORM HF, at the University of Toronto and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.