The Start-up Gives Scientists the Opportunity to Help Shape the Path of Their Discovery
Jiří Růžička works as an incubation manager at the biotech incubator i&i Prague, where he focuses on innovations in drug development, diagnostics, and medical technologies. His work centers on analyzing scientific projects from the perspective of their commercial potential and supporting early-stage scientific start-ups and spin-offs. What does he think about the relationship between basic research and the commercialization of scientific discoveries? Why should young scientists consider creating a start-up, and when is the right time to start? What role do incubators play in this process? He answers all of these questions in the following interview…
First of all, how would you describe the relationship between basic science and the commercialization of scientific discoveries?
It’s a bit like the relationship between your left and right hand. Each hand functions independently, but both are part of the same body. And the better they cooperate, the better off the whole organism is. In other words: without basic science, nothing new or revolutionary would ever emerge, meaning there would be nothing to commercialize. Successful commercialization, in turn, brings much-needed financial resources back into science. Moreover, it often supports basic science with insights that arise from industrial research.
One form of commercialization is transforming a scientific project into a company, such as a start-up or spin-off. Why should a scientist become an entrepreneur?
If someone starts a company to further develop the results of their scientific work, they gain the ability to help shape the path their discovery takes. I personally find it unique when you can not only announce your findings to the world but also play a role in how they are applied in practice. If successful, you can directly witness how your discoveries improve the quality of life for millions of people around the globe—but we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves.
Another motivation is the potential financial reward that comes when the developed technology becomes interesting to big pharmaceutical companies or other industrial partners. However, if that’s the only reason for commercialization, I consider it insufficient. It’s a very long and uncertain path—people say that in this field, one project out of ten survives, and one out of a hundred makes a profit. That’s why you need a stronger motivation than just money.
The most important reason young scientists should consider this path, in my opinion, is the invaluable experience they gain from it. Working in a start-up helps everyone on the team grow and develop in a comprehensive way. When we talk to colleagues from Germany, Austria, or other Western European countries, these people are among the most valued in the job market—often even if their project didn’t succeed.
I personally find it unique when you can not only announce your findings to the world but also play a role in how they are applied in practice.
JIŘÍ RŮŽIČKA
Project manager at i&i Prague
Is it true that creating a start-up means the end of a scientist's research career?
Not true—or better said, it doesn’t have to be. In a well-functioning start-up, the scientist becomes part of a team where each member has their defined role. The CEO manages the overall operations, the CFO handles finances, and the scientific team should continue focusing primarily on the development of the core technology, with research being guided by goals based on specific market needs.
When is the right moment for a scientist to start thinking about commercializing their discoveries?
At the beginning, of course, you don’t know whether your work will ever have commercial potential. But it’s important to keep in mind that it might—and to understand that your discoveries need to be properly protected through patents. No commercial partner will invest in a technology that anyone can easily copy. So if you have an idea or data that you haven’t published or presented outside your team yet, go talk to your institute's or university’s tech transfer office. They can advise you on the next steps, how to protect the technology, and if you want to go the start-up route—who knows, maybe we’ll meet. You can also reach out to us directly.
What role do incubators play in the whole process?
I’ll speak on behalf of i&i Prague. Our incubator is ready to help from the moment a purely scientific project begins to take shape as an idea for a start-up or spin-off. In collaboration with inventors and tech transfer offices, we assist in establishing the company itself. Then we help with legal, business, organizational, staffing, and other matters related to launching and growing a new company.
A separate part of our support is investment. Our incubator doesn’t just provide scientific and business expertise—we can also help with funding. Thanks to our close collaboration with the investment fund i&i Bio, which we co-founded in 2021, we know what it takes to attract investors. While we don’t promise direct investment, we offer know-how that helps companies understand what they need to do to stand a chance of securing funding.
I personally find it unique when you can not only announce your findings to the world but also play a role in how they are applied in practice.
JIŘÍ RŮŽIČKA
Project manager at i&i Prague
In addition to your work at i&i Prague, you’re also involved in the start-up Deep MedChem. Can you tell us more about this project?
Deep MedChem was born out of a collaboration between the tech transfer office IOCB Tech, which is part of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, and a company called MAMA AI, which specializes in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Deep MedChem is developing an idea that uses vector-based search of chemical space—a massive database of billions of molecules, from which, for example, large pharmaceutical companies search for potential candidates for the production of new drugs. Our solution works like a kind of ChatGPT that significantly streamlines this process, saving not only time and money, but also drastically shortening the early stages of drug development.
Specifically, how did you get involved in the Deep MedChem project?
I joined Deep MedChem at the end of 2023 as a representative of i&i Prague during the founding of the company. At that time, the company needed to handle issues unrelated to technology development. It’s important to realize that while the project is developing an amazing technology, that’s only the beginning. We had to create a standard company structure, set up proper accounting, establish supervisory bodies, draft a basic business plan, and prepare for investor negotiations, grant applications, and acquiring the first clients. In short—everything related to launching a company. It’s now been over a year, and as the CBO of the start-up, I’m still learning new things that I want to pass on to others. As a former scientist, I really appreciate that my synapses are definitely not going idle.
Thank you for the interview.
Author: Martin Kovalčík