“As a graduate student, I intentionally sought out opportunities that could build skills to complement my research, but would also translate into a role outside the lab that would impact the community,” said Kendra Stenzel, PhD, Director of Innovation Talent Development. “My fellowship in UK’s technology transfer office was pivotal in my career trajectory but I saw how the overall fellowship experience could be elevated and expanded into something greater, which was the foundation in creating CILP.”

In 2017, she found what she was looking for in UK’s Office of Technology Commercialization. Kendra was attracted to staying on the cutting edge of science, working with brilliant, and most importantly, strategizing and supporting innovators to get their innovations into the community to effectuate impact.

“Working in OTC as a fellow shed light on the opportunities where I could combine everything I loved about science and research with a newfound love for applying research discoveries to the world outside of academia,” said Kendra.

Kendra Hargis Stenzel, Launch Blue’s Director of Innovation Talent Development

The fellowship is a pivotal experience for many individuals who go through it. Kendra leveraged her fellowship experience to branch out of the lab, but the experience of her fellowship never left her. It inspired her to expand that fellowship experience into something greater. As Kendra transitioned into her new role at Launch Blue, she aimed to apply a holistic approach to experiential programming. Kendra shares, “From my experience, I had the technical knowledge skills. I understood the science, the experiments, and could envision the future application of the science to the market. However, it took quite a while to grasp and appreciate the process of innovation and commercialization, from ideation, all the way to impact outside of academia. By the time I became grounded and comfortable, the fellowship was almost complete. I wished I had a little more context from the very beginning to fully appreciate the value I was adding to the office and the innovators' journey of commercialization.”

She felt it was important to launch programs that would serve and train the next generation of innovation leaders. Both programs formalize the experiential opportunities within Launch Blue and provide intentional professional development experiences throughout students’ time with Launch Blue.

Kendra says, “It’s important for students to gain translatable experience within the safety net of their academic program. It’s also important to teach and provide opportunities for them to practice soft skills like networking and building their personal brand. Being able to translate and apply your professional experiences is important long beyond just landing a first job, it also shapes your career trajectory.”

With all of this in mind, Kendra launched her first program known as the Commercialization and Innovation Leadership Program (CILP). CILP is a professional development program for undergraduate and graduate students that pairs hands-on work experience with a professional learning curriculum and mentorship.

“I am so excited to get to be a part of the CILP Program at Launch Blue. As a student, it really means a lot to see a mentor like Kendra so invested in our professional development. I think sometimes in internships or part time jobs, employers forget that we are still students, and have skills that we either need help developing or need more practice on. This program is not only teaching us new skills, but also giving us real world scenarios to put what we’ve learned into practice. I’m ecstatic to see what the rest of the year looks like as the program unfolds,” says Launch Blue Marketing & Communications Ambassador, Abby Brady.

"As a student ambassador, the innovation training program, CILP, has allowed me to better understand and appreciate all that goes into being a startup. Because I work on the marketing side, the program showed me what the message of Invest Blue truly means and the inspiration behind the program,” Madison Clark, Invest Blue Marketing and Communications Ambassador.

Ambassadors start the program with fundamental knowledge transfer around innovation, intellectual property protection, and commercialization. That education is then paired with the tasks they complete in the office, as well as mentorship, intentional network building, and leadership opportunities to position themselves for success in their future careers. By the end of their time in the program, ambassadors have an opportunity to report on their experience. The current cohort has 8 students working with Launch Blue and Invest Blue programs.

“The Innovation Training Program has deepened my understanding of networking, equipping me with valuable tools like purposeful networking and strategic use of business cards. This experience has transformed my approach and confidence in building professional connections,” Daniel Walters, Launch Blue Marketing & Communications Ambassador.

The second program that Kendra set out to establish, is the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP). From our experiences, graduate students and postdocs are passionate about taking their innovations to the next level, but there aren't a lot of opportunities for guidance on how to do that. Coupled with the priority to work on their research and the lab, it makes it difficult to work towards commercialization in their free time.

The idea behind ELP is to buy out a small portion of their time in the form of a fellowship, where they get training around entrepreneurship and commercialization paired with mentorship and guidance. This was born out of a need to provide paid opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to work on commercializing their university-based innovations.

“Graduate and postdocs are paid to do research in the lab and work towards their dissertation or make progress on their current projects. They're paid to research, not necessarily to commercialize that research. Additionally, there aren't a lot of opportunities to participate in commercialization without it seeming to distract from their research. So, what if we pay to protect a small portion of their time so they can learn about and work on the commercialization aspects of the outcomes from their research?” Many times, these students are the driving force around furthering the development of these innovations and moving them into startups. However, protected time and expert guidance often hinder their ability to do so. “We're allowing grad students and postdocs the opportunity to take their innovations forward. We are training the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and contributing to the local ecosystem. We're creating opportunities and incentives for our UK graduates to stay local, but to also expand our reach to other parts of the country by being those thought leaders.” Just like CILP, ELP provides mentorship and access to resources that many desperately need.

The Commercialization and Innovation Leadership Program (CILP) and the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) new programs were officially launched Fall 2024 and Launch Blue, as well as UK Innovate, are excited to watch the transformative learning their students are embarking upon. To learn more about our student-focused programs, please visit our website.

By: Abby Brady