Agnes Lenagh, PhD, entered a key part of the innovation ecosystem developing around UNMC to introduce herself and her new role.
The setting was at Catalyst – the new office and event space that UNMC developed in collaboration with commercial partners to help anchor the EDGE District.
The event was UNeMed’s “Idea Pub: Morning Edition” – a networking session offering coffee and conversation to help UNMC innovators and local entrepreneurs match up in this fledgling ecosystem.
Dr. Lenagh, who has joined UNMC as the director of strategic partnerships in the new UNMC Office of Industry Engagement, took the opportunity to lay out her vision.
Coffee in hand, she told the crowd that UNMC should think big in industry partnerships – and that’s where she’s aiming. The mission she outlined: Position UNMC as the partner of choice for firms in private industry seeking strategic relationships.
“It’s not just, ‘We can do this one project for you,’ but more than that. It’s a community, and it’s an ecosystem,” she said.
“We have faculty, we have students, we can help train your workforce. We have the resources, as well, and multiple different research initiatives, and we’re also here to help solve real-world problems.”
The office is a new initiative of UNMC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, led by Ken Bayles, PhD. It grew out of UNMC’s expansion in research contracts with private industry at a time when federal research funding has become more uncertain.
The goal is to make the Office of Industry Engagement UNMC’s front door for industry – but then formalize contacts, build relationships and grow biotech funding and partnerships.
In her new role just over two months, Dr. Lenagh already has been involved in discussions with dozens of different companies, across a spectrum from clinical research to basic research and product development.
While building for the future, she also wants to move quickly. She said she’s hoping to create a significant win – a new grant or contract that generates significant, new revenue – within the next three months.
“We have so much expertise, so many capabilities on campus,” Dr. Lenagh said. “We need to go out there and tell the world, but do it intentionally.”
Dr. Bayles said Dr. Lenagh already has developed promising new industry connections that bode well for the future of the effort.
“Her early successes underscore the need to continue to build the research infrastructure we need to support these new industry partners,” he said, “and our own growing research portfolio here at UNMC.”
Dr. Lenagh said the Office of Industry Engagement exists to enable UNMC to be partnership-ready and industry-responsive. And she sees the opportunity to build something amazing in that.
“Our mission is to position UNMC as the partner of choice by cultivating strategic mutual value relationships,” she said. “This works both ways – academic and industry partners exchange expertise, resources and opportunities.”
Welcome back Agnes!
Dr. Lenagh has been an outstanding partner – and in such a short amount of time has a true command of how we can accelerate our industry partnerships. Welcome, Dr. Lenagh – UNMC is on track to exponentially grow in this area under your leadership!