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The next generation

Nature Biotechnology volume 27, pages 120–121 (2009)Cite this article

To the Editor:

Your December editorial calls on the old guard of biotech to devote more energy and time to developing the upcoming generation of young entrepreneurs1. You note that this demographic group is characterized by a revolutionary streak—not only showing “openness to new ideas,” but also a persistence in pursuing them. To shed some more light on the views of the next generation, I present below the results of an informal survey of entrepreneurially orientated students that asked three questions: What motivates them to pursue a career in biotech? What do they identify as the major opportunities and challenges in biotech? And how willing would they be to take on a job in a biotech startup in the current financial environment?

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Figure 1: Geographical distribution of survey respondents.

References

  1. Anonymous. Nat. Biotechnol. 26, 1313 (2008).

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank students who participated from Yale University, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California at San Diego, Tufts University, Northwestern University, University of Washington, Caltech, University of British Columbia, Columbia University, Darmouth College, University of North Carolina, Chapel-Hill, University of Michigan, Duke University, University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. BioSynergy Magazine, 761 Bay Street, Suite 2406, Toronto, Ontario, MRG 2R2, Canada and the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto, MaRS Centre, South Tower Suite 406, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7, Canada. justin.chakma@utoronto.ca,

    Justin Chakma

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Supplementary Data, Table 1 (PDF 63 kb)

Supplementary Table 1

Respondents' Affiliations (XLS 14 kb)

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Chakma, J. The next generation. Nat Biotechnol 27, 120–121 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0209-120b

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