BioBusiness: Three universities - one elective

Two classes have been following the elective since it began. In the long term it is supposed to turn into a master’s programme.

02/23/2011

Collaboration fulfils the needs of the industry

What do you get if you cross students from CBS with students from the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and Systems Biology at the Technical University of Denmark? If you ask Project Manager of the elective "BioBusiness and Innovation Program", Denice Florvall Müller, you get a unique interdisciplinary collaboration, which the biotech industry needs.

A new kind of student

In the autumn of 2010, the elective was offered for the first time as a partnership between CBS and DTU. Later, the University of Copenhagen joined the collaboration.

The aim of this collaboration between the three universities and selected partnerships with the biotech industry is to form a new kind of student.

- These students, who work interdisciplinarily in teams with practical problems in the biotech sector, are carefully chosen on the basis of their competences, says Professor Finn Valentin, one of the course heads.

Students in innovation competition

In the first round of applications, the elective received more than 70 applications. There are only 30 places, so the selection process was based on the students' motivated essays, CV's and GPA's. The value of this collaboration across disciplines and interests is already very evident. Four teams out of seven made it to the final at the annual innovation competition, "Venture Cup" in January, and one out of the four temas won CBS' university award for the best idea.

From elective to master's programme

- The positive evaluations from the students and the great demand from the industry has prepared the ground for a new master's programme to be accredited in June 2011. Already in 2012, the new master's students will be able to register for the course, says Denice Florvall Müller.

Winner of best business plan is announced

The elective will celebrate its first anniversary at an event on Thursday 24 February 2011. The programme sponsors, Novozymes, Novo A/S, LEO Pharma, Høiberg A/S, BCG and COBIS will be represented at the event, and the winner of the best BBIP Business Plan will receive an award from LEO Pharma. In addition, a former BBIP group (EIR Sciences) will be presenting an example of a BBIP business plan that is being commercialised.

The page was last edited by: Communications // 02/24/2011