PRESS RELEASE | April 6, 2017
In May, 2017, the service-based gig economy is coming to a lab near you - a paradigm shift that will get its start in Boston's thriving biopharmaceutical ecosystem. As the pool of academic tenure-track positions shrinks, federal research dollars tighten, and pharmaceutical companies and investment firms seek to be more nimble in developing products, a solution is being offered through a platform called LabMate.
Conceptualized and developed by Amar Sahay (MGH) and Craig Russo (HIP 2013), LabMate is a marketplace platform connecting biopharmaceutical companies and investment firms with scientists from top-tier universities for consulting projects or job placement. LabMate's mission is to empower academic scientists to utilize their knowledge and technical skills to break the current scientific career bottleneck while also creating unprecedented value for the biopharma industry.
The process is straightforward. A faculty member or postdoc will set up an account - at no cost - on the website, http://labmate.us/. Companies will post projects for which they need particular scientific talents and insights. The scientist is then matched with the project and, if the two parties agree on the terms of the arrangement, the project commences. It is a win-win situation. The scientist gains recognition in the industry as well as an additional paycheck. The company gains expertise for a short-term project, allowing them to agilely move forward in business/product development.
As LabMate prepares to launch in May, Amar and Craig encourage members of the HSCI research community to explore the site and sign up - and become the early adopters. Amar and Craig will also join the HSCI community at the 12th Annual HSCI Malkin Retreat | HSCI as Kickstarter, on May 15th and 16th where they will be available to answer questions directly.
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