SBME Propels
Launched in partnership with e@UBC in 2021, SBME Propels is an extracurricular series of workshops, seminars and panels designed to build fluency for trainees, staff and faculty in partnerships, translation, leadership, pedagogy and to prepare graduates for careers across the BME space. Propels has been designed to help you learn the skills you need to translate innovations, build your career, become an effective leader and create lasting partnerships.rn
Propels Streams
Innovation & Partnerships
Learn the processes behind building and maintaining research partnerships, and master the ins and outs of knowledge translation and commercialization. Give your innovation the support it needs to make an impact.
The Commercialization Workshop Series is designed to guide researchers and trainees through the process of transforming their research into market-ready solutions. This program offers a comprehensive roadmap from initial discovery to commercialization, providing participants with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to successfully navigate the complex journey of bringing innovative discoveries and technologies to market.
The series consists of four workshops, each building on the previous one to equip participants with essential skills and insights. The workshops will cover key aspects of the commercialization process, including identifying market needs, protecting intellectual property, securing funding, and refining research solutions for market entry. The series culminates in a final showcase, where participants present their projects to a panel of industry experts, venture capitalists, and funding representatives.
IP & Patents 101: What to Know Before You Publish | Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Publishing and presenting your research can jeopardize future IP — unless you understand how to protect it. This session explains what every trainee should know before presenting at conferences, publishing results, or collaborating with external partners. Learn the basics of patenting, timelines, public disclosure, and how UBC’s UILO supports researchers.
Understanding BC’s Biotech & Medtech Ecosystem | Tuesday, October 8, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
British Columbia is home to one of Canada’s fastest-growing life sciences hubs — but many students aren’t sure how to navigate it or where they fit in. This session demystifies the structure of BC’s biotech and medtech ecosystem, including the types of companies, funding pathways, innovation hubs, and career opportunities available in the province.
Participants will explore how government, academia, and private industry intersect in this space — and how their degree can connect with real-world organizations.
From Research to Product | Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
This session introduces trainees to the core stages of translating academic research into a commercial or clinical product. Walk through the lifecycle from ideation → problem–solution fit → validation → product design → early partnerships. Participants will leave with a mental model of how their research could evolve into impact — and what questions to ask early.
How to Launch a Biomed Startup | Thursday, March 10, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
This session pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to launch a biomedical startup. A curated panel of founders and early-stage leaders will share how they moved from idea to incorporation — navigating team formation, product-market fit, regulatory planning, IP decisions, funding rounds, and the emotional rollercoaster of startup life.
Panelists will reflect on key inflection points and missteps, offering actionable insights for students who may want to translate their research into a commercial venture in the future. A great session for those who are “startup-curious” but unsure where to begin.
BME Career Pathing & Practical Skills for Trainees
Discover how to build a fulfilling career in the BME field and the essential skills required to do it.
Career Paths in Biotech | Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Explore the various career paths available to biomedical engineering graduates within the Biotech industry
Career Paths in MedTech | Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Explore the various career paths available to biomedical engineering graduates within the medical technology sector
Career Paths in AI | Monday, January 27, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Explore the various career paths available to biomedical engineering graduates within AI & Health
Networking in Practice: Coffee Chats, Cold Emails & LinkedIn | Tuesday, January 28, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Networking is one of the most powerful tools for building your career — but many students feel awkward, unsure, or intimidated by how to actually do it.
This session demystifies how to make and sustain professional connections in the biomedical field, whether you’re reaching out for a coffee chat, preparing to attend a conference, or trying to connect with alumni or hiring managers on LinkedIn.
Students will leave with the confidence and tools to start authentic, meaningful conversations that can lead to internships, mentorship, collaborations, or jobs.
Professional Skills
Develop new professional skills to achieve your personal and professional goals.
Equity & Ethics in Biomedical Innovation | Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 12:0 pm – 1:00 pm
Explore the ethical dimensions of biomedical research and technology development. Through real-world case studies, this session unpacks issues of bias, access, unintended consequences, and responsible design in fields like AI, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Students will engage in reflection and discussion about how to build equitable, inclusive, and socially responsible innovations.
Writing for Impact: From Lab to Lay Audience | Wednesday, November 18 | 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Whether you’re drafting a grant application, writing an abstract, or explaining your project to a non-specialist, how you write can determine whether your work gets read—or remembered. Why using your own voice in writing is important.
This session will help you adapt academic writing for clarity and impact across different audiences. You’ll learn how to distill your message without dumbing it down, structure a compelling narrative, and avoid common pitfalls like jargon overload and passive phrasing. Through real examples and short writing exercises, you’ll leave with tools to sharpen your voice and make your science land with reviewers, collaborators, and the public. Bring laptop or device. Bring something that they want to communicate.
Data Storytelling: How to Communicate Complex Ideas | Tuesday, November 26, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
This interactive session will help you communicate your research more clearly and effectively—especially when sharing results with collaborators, funders, or non-specialist audiences. You’ll learn practical strategies to structure your message, highlight what matters, and avoid common pitfalls when presenting data. Through group discussion and example walk-throughs, you’ll explore how storytelling techniques can make your science more engaging and easier to understand.
Mindfulness Tools for Stress | Wednesday, February 11, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
In this interactive session, Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat — Registered Psychologist and certified MBSR teacher — will introduce evidence-based mindfulness practices to help students reduce stress and improve emotional regulation. Drawing from his clinical work and global training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Dr. Al-Mashat will guide participants through simple, practical tools to build greater awareness, resilience, and calm amidst the pressures of academic and professional life. No prior experience with mindfulness is required.
Leadership and Pedagogy
Real leadership is a skill set that you must learn and practice. Discover how to effectively create, lead and grow a culture of innovation, collaboration and excellence. Science is a human endeavor, and great leaders learn to put their people first.
Strategic Thinking & Leadership: Guiding Scientific Innovation | Wednesday, September 24, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
To equip scientists and engineers with the skills needed to develop long-term strategic plans, set visionary directions, and lead innovation in their fields.
REDI in Research Design: Moving Beyond Inclusion Statements | Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Embedding REDI into your research means more than just stating that your study is inclusive — it requires intentional decisions at every stage of design. This seminar explores how to structure research questions, select participants, define outcomes, and analyze data in ways that reflect equity, diversity, and justice.
Using real biomedical examples, we’ll examine how design choices affect who benefits from research, who is excluded, and how technologies either challenge or reinforce systemic barriers. Ideal for anyone preparing new studies or rethinking project frameworks. (Include Stats on research/study design – concrete examples & methods)
Writing REDI into Grants: From Tokenism to Impact | Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
More and more funding agencies — from CIHR and NSERC to NIH — require clear, meaningful articulation of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI or REDI) in grant proposals. But many researchers feel uncertain about what to say, how to say it, or how to ensure it reflects actual practice.
This seminar offers a practical guide to embedding REDI language into research grants in a way that is funder-aligned, ethically grounded, and reflective of real research design choices. Trainees and faculty will review real (anonymized) examples, workshop strong language, and leave with templates and a checklist they can apply to their next submission.