A Night at the Bell Museum with BMDC’s Innovation Fellows

On February 20th, the Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center (Bakken MDC) recognized the Innovation Fellows Program (IFP) in a special event at the Bell Museum.

In attendance were over 100 people from the wider Bakken MDC community, including past and present Innovation Fellows. The IFP trains engineers, scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs to address unmet medical needs with novel, commercially viable solutions. Fellows form project teams and invite University faculty to collaborate.

Addressing the audience, Bakken MDC Director Hubert Lim noted that the Fellows “serve as contingent points, they are passionate, and they bring people together from across the University of Minnesota”. Dr. Lim introduced Medical School Dean Dr. Jakub Tolar, who highlighted the many real-world applications of research and development conducted by Innovation Fellows. IFP Director Danny Sachs then welcomed the new IFP fellows and highlighted the successes and future directions of the program. 

Perhaps no presence was as stated as Art Erdman, Founding Director of the Bakken MDC, who spoke of the night’s personal significance. “I talked to Fellows who I had not seen in a while. To have them together and catch up and discuss what’s next is phenomenal,” he said.

After the event, Danny Sachs noted that the gathering connected Medical Alley professionals and Fellows across cohorts who may not have otherwise met. He hopes that future events will do the same. “It is good to foster relationships,” he shared, noting that such connections will benefit the Program, its alumni, and even more broadly people at the University and medical industry.
 

Bakken MDC Director Hubert Lim (bottom first left), IFP Director Danny Sachs (bottom second left), and incoming 2025-26 Innovation Fellows