ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research

Staff

Dr. Usha Sarma

Research Strategy Manager Entrepreneur-in-Residence program

University of Bern, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research

Phone
+41 31 684 14 88
Phone2
+49 151 634 87242
E-Mail
usha.sarma@unibe.ch
Office
A003
Postal Address
ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research
Murtenstrasse 50
3008 Bern

Usha Sarma focuses on healthcare and life science technology translation and commercialisation and develops research funding and investment strategies to support researchers in developing successful funding plans. She has successfully raised large-scale research and translation grant and investment funding in the U.K., Germany and Switzerland for academic research and clinical translation projects and start-up ventures. Her extensive global network across academia, clinical settings and industry allows her to connect researchers with suitable partners for co-operation and strategic resource acquisition, for which she helps to draw up winning funding applications

She has extensive start-up formation, technology licensing and corporate partnership development track-record for university and SME IP and know-how. Before joining the ARTORG Center as research strategy manager, Usha Sarma has spent 13 years working in high-technology commercialisation and venture capital investment at Imperial Innovations plc (now IP group), 5 years in business and strategy development at Brunel University London and has served as non-executive director and commercial advisor on the board of over a dozen start-ups. Usha Sarma holds a BSc Hons in Biochemistry and a PhD in Immunology from Imperial College London, during which she worked for Immunex Corp., Seattle (WA), U.S.A. (now Pfizer Inc.) and held a British Heart Foundation Research Fellowship. She also completed an MBA with a focus on Science Entrepreneurship from Bayes Business School, City University London supported by a Pearsons Financial Times Scholarship. At the ARTORG and CAIM, Usha Sarma provides direct assistance for any researcher developing a research or investment funding application or overall funding strategy across the project life-cycle.

Development of

  • Translation pathway for project plans
  • Clinical and technical collaboration partnerships
  • Aligned funding strategy to take projects from early-stage to commercialisation and clinical adoption

Assistance in

  • Identifying suitable funding sources (CH an International)
  • Designing and drafting successful funding and investment bids
  • Negotiation of IP terms
  • Translation of projects from research to early-stage ventures or licensing opportunities