The American Chemical Society (ACS) will launch an entrepreneurial initiative - a support network for entrepreneurs starting new businesses - at a San Diego press conference. The press conference will be held March 27, at 9:15 a.m. Pacific Time, in the ACS Press Center, Room 15A of the San Diego Convention Center.
For prospective entrepreneurs, developing a new idea is the first step. Commercialising that product or process, however, requires a whole new set of skills and knowledge, from understanding the patent process and finding venture capital, to deciphering export trade and tax laws and managing staff. Support networks like the ACS Entrepreneurial Initiative are seen to offer keys to success for entrepreneurs.
The press conference, a webinar and more than 7,500 reports on discoveries in scientific fields ranging from astronomy to zoology will be held during the ACS’ 243rd National Meeting & Exposition, which will bring almost 17,000 chemical scientists, engineers and others to San Diego.
The ACS Entrepreneurial Initiative includes the Entrepreneurial Training Program, which awards scholarships, twice yearly through a competitive process, to train chemists who have a high potential of becoming successful entrepreneurs. In the near future, ACS also plans to establish an entrepreneurial resource centre, which will provide affordable (or free) help to select entrepreneurs in the chemical sciences to foster the creation of small companies from startups.
The ACS Entrepreneurial Initiative was formed in response to a 2011 ACS Presidential Task Force, which investigated ways the chemical enterprise could stimulate economic growth in the US. The task force released its report last year, Innovation, Chemistry and Jobs, which can be found at: www.acs.org/CreatingJobs. The report details steps to create economic growth, generate revenue and add new jobs in chemistry and the chemical enterprise.
