Aimed at supporting the evolving Irish bioeconomy, and in line with the informational needs of technical graduates who will enter industry or applied academic research, this module will provide undergraduates with a practical understanding of key operational aspects of the entrepreneurial bioscience sector.
The aim of this module is to provide students with an integrated knowledge of intellectual property and market issues for bioscience innovation which influence the development trajectory of such technologies. The wider societal perspectives on new biotechnology will be analyzed within the context of the major markets.
The module is complementary in nature to applied technology subjects, and will imbue students with an understanding of biobusiness drivers. It is envisaged that this will help graduates to better contextualise industry-orientated subjects encountered in other parts of their coursework.
| The position of modern bioscience in society. Overview of industry and consumer trends relevant to Irish and international bioscience enterprises. Information resources for biobusiness. Reconciling ‘technology push’ and ‘market pull’ issues. Identification and analysis of key stakeholders in the technology development chain. Entrepreneurial bioscience companies. Big pharma companies. Technology platform companies. Contract research and manufacturing companies. Virtual biotech enterprises. Intellectual property protection and management; defining a proprietary position. The requirements of patenting. Patent strategies. Other forms of IP protection (secrecy, copyright, trademark, design rights). Relevant protocols and treaties. Technology valuation. Technology licensing mechanisms (out-licensing, cross-licensing) and deal structures. Up-front fees. Annual fees. Milestone fees. Fixed royalty fees. Volume-dependent royalty fees. Licensing royalty rates, and payments based on milestones. The tools of technology transfer: agreement structures relating to confidentiality, secrecy, material transfer and product licensing. Maintaining a GLP laboratory notebook. Competitive intelligence Product profiling and benchmarking against ‘best-in-class’ exemplars. Market assessment. Product development phases. Project planning and management structures [objectives, deliverables, milestones (based on technical success), time and task dependencies]. Building a biotech company: the relationship of academia, biotechnology and phamaceutical sectors. Spin-offs, start-ups. Writing a business plan: the SME perspective. Funding models. Angel investors. Venture capital. IPOs. Partnering models. Relationship of development milestones to funding. Exit strategies: honourable disposals, mergers and acquisitions. Due diligence. Biotech clusters. Ethics and public benefit of biotechnology. Social responsibility in biobusiness. Practical workshop programme Analysis of a model patent Accessing information on biotechnology. Interrogating patent databases.
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The position of modern bioscience in society
Overview of industry and consumer trends relevant to Irish and international bioscience enterprises. Information resources for biobusiness. Reconciling ‘technology push’ and ‘market pull’ issues.
Identification and analysis of key stakeholders in the technology development chain.
Entrepreneurial bioscience companies. Big pharma companies. Technology platform companies. Contract research and manufacturing companies. Virtual biotech enterprises.
Intellectual property protection and management; defining a proprietary position.
The requirements of patenting. Patent strategies. Other forms of IP protection (secrecy, copyright, trademark, design rights). Relevant protocols and treaties. Technology valuation. Technology licensing mechanisms (out-licensing, cross-licensing) and deal structures. Up-front fees. Annual fees. Milestone fees. Fixed royalty fees. Volume-dependent royalty fees. Licensing royalty rates, and payments based on milestones.
Technology transfer tools
The tools of technology transfer: agreement structures relating to confidentiality, secrecy, material transfer and product licensing. Maintaining a GLP laboratory notebook. Competitive intelligence
Product profiling
Product profiling and benchmarking against ‘best-in-class’ exemplars. Market assessment. Product development phases.
Project management
Project planning and management structures [objectives, deliverables, milestones (based on technical success), time and task dependencies].
Building a biotech company
The relationship of academia, biotechnology and phamaceutical sectors. Spin-offs, start-ups. Writing a business plan: the SME perspective. Funding models. Angel investors. Venture capital. IPOs. Partnering models. Relationship of development milestones to funding. Exit strategies: honourable disposals, mergers and acquisitions. Due diligence. Biotech clusters.
Ethics and biobusiness
Ethics and public benefit of biotechnology. Social responsibility in biobusiness.
Practical workshop programme
Analysis of a model patentAccessing information on biotechnology. Interrogating patent databases.
Learning outcomes will be achieved through a combination of lectures, practical workshops, self-directed learning, and written assignment.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |