A primer for academic entrepreneurs on academic-industrial partnerships.

Partnerships between academic investigators and industry can accelerate the translation of research findings into life-saving products. The healthcare industry has witnessed heightened interest from universities in capitalizing on the discoveries made by faculty to create intellectual property, form new companies and seek investments. However, academic investigators and even Biotechnology start-ups may be unfamiliar with how industry sources and evaluates these opportunities. In this Comment, we share the approaches and principles by which a large healthcare company sources innovation and assesses opportunities to serve as a guide to better deal making with the goal of improving health for humanity.