Background: Successful innovation requires combinations of resources, such as new processes and collaborations among industry partners, technology developers, health care leaders, clinicians, and patients. With this in mind we developed a novel University System wide and cross industry collaborative Biodesign Innovation Program. Texas Biodesign includes the University of Texas (UT) System and external industry partners focused on identifying areas of opportunity, facilitating device and technology development, and accelerating implementation of new therapies for our patients. 

Methods: Stakeholders from MD Anderson, UT, and NASA agreed upon the conceptual framework, created a syllabus, identified mentors, interviewed applicants, and assigned teams. The initial cohort included three teams (each team of four consisted of a clinician from MD Anderson Cancer Center, PhD students and faculty from the UT Cockrell School of Engineering, MBA students from the UT McCombs School of Business, and support from the Texas Innovation Center and Texas Venture Labs) and cross-industry participation with NASA. The intensive program was seven weeks long and included didactic coursework as well as each team meeting weekly with mentors who are experienced entrepreneurs and alumni of the Stanford Biodesign Fellowship. Due to COVID-19 imposed visitor restrictions, the workshop was conducted virtually and clinical vignettes were used in lieu of in person clinical observations.
 
Results: Texas Biodesign was conceived, created, and implemented in less than three months. The three teams generated more than 200 needs statements which were further filtered to generate one lead concept per team. Two of the three teams have continued to innovate resulting in three clinical solutions in various stages of development. The collaborations and relationships between university system and industry partners provides innovators the full range of resources and expertise necessary to successfully innovate, validate, and commercialize new ideas. 

Conclusion: Texas Biodesign established a successful, first of its kind collaboration across the UT system. This novel program also provides the opportunity for an expansion of industry partners to put more resources and expertise into the hands of the Biodesign Fellows. This program has laid the foundation for intersecting connections across medicine, engineering, business, and industry to more effectively and efficiently address critical healthcare needs as it will identify, invent, design, develop, and commercialize life-enhancing and life-saving devices and technology.