Frontiers in Medical Biology II

Course manual 2024/2025

Course content

The goal of Frontiers in Medical Biology II is to apply knowledge and experience gained in Frontiers in Medical Biology I to demonstrate the importance of basic biological research for solving today’s grand societal health challenges. The students will obtain skill sets (i) to engage with scientists actively studying the biological topics underlying the grand health challenges, (ii) to write and pitch a business proposal and identify stakeholders of an 'out of the box' idea to tackle the grand health challenges, (iii) to write, present, show a video of a scientific proposal addressing a fundamental biological problem underlying the grand health challenges.

Taking the obtained knowledge and skills of Frontiers in Medical Biology I as a starting point, students will learn:

• how to communicate with top scientists and ask critical questions
• how to formulate a business proposal, including the development phases of Biotech and Pharma product development
• how to pitch a business proposal to involved stakeholders
• how to write/present a research proposal to obtain funding
• how to make a short video to engage with a larger audience

Relation with other courses in the curriculum:

• Frontiers in Medical Biology I is a good basis for Frontiers in Medical Biology II.
• Students that wish to expand and deepen their knowledge in Biomedical entrepreneurship are encouraged to consider following the minor Entrepreneurship (UvA-ACE) See: minor Entrepreneurship (http://studiegids.uva.nl/xmlpages/page/2014-2015/zoek-minor/opleiding/1160)
  or get connected to ACE Venture Lab (at Science Park). See: Ace Incubator lab (https://ace-incubator.nl/) or Caempus (https://caempus.nl/)

Study materials

Other

• All study material will be released on Canvas

Objectives

• communicate with scientists from academics, private and public sector and ask critical questions
• formulate a business proposal, including the development phases of Biotech and Pharma product development
• pitch a business proposal and show short video to involved stakeholders
• ask critical questions on the methodology used and the fundamental background of research behind a business proposal

Teaching methods

• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting
• Presentation/symposium
• Lecture

Frontiers in Medical Biology II builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in Frontiers in Medical Biology I.

In a series of workshops on entrepreneurship the students will learn the basic building blocks of a business model, how to start a company, to obtain funding and venture capital, to deal with intellectual property, the phases of Biotech, Pharma and R&D product development and to give a Pitch. For the business proposal the students will propose an original case topic to report on their business knowledge gained in these workshops.

The students will actively work on a research business proposal focussing on grand health challenges. The students will identify their own fundamental and more applied research questions being fully aware of the impact for the society, innovation and novelty of their research questions. Students will identify stakeholders of their topic and organize interviews with stakeholders to make an inventory of the view of stakeholders for responsible innovation. Students will get support and guidance in writing a research-applied business proposal. The students will work in small groups on their assignments. Most of the writing will be done in the student’s own time. The final business model report will be presented as a pitch and short video to a panel of research and entrepreneurship specialists.

To obtain more information of all aspects of entrepreneurship (Pharma and funding, valorisation in biomedical research including IP rights, Stakeholders), guest speakers will give tutorials on specific aspects of entrepreneurship. Moreover, CEOs of biomedical start-up companies will give tutorials to provide insight about what is happening behind the scenes also giving an idea of the challenges entrepreneurial scientists have to face and how they managed to book their success.               

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• Participation in all practical sessions, computer sessions, and seminars in the curriculum is obligatory.
  

Additional requirements for this course:

• Attendance at all tutorials is mandatory. Students that miss one of the tutorials will have to make up for this in a personal assignment.

Assessment

The minimal grade for each part of the Assignment (business report, business pitch, stakeholder presentation, video) has to be 5.5. The draft business report presentation and the stakeholder presentation has to be 'pass'. 

The final grade is calculated as follows:
(0.2 * [Assignment Business proposal scientific part])
+
(0.2* [Assignment Busines proposal business part])
+
(0.3 * [Final Pitch presentation])
+
(0.15 * [Stakeholder presentation])
+
(0.15 * [Video presentation])

All grades expire at the end of the academic year. 

Inspection of assessed work

Marks will be released via Canvas

Assignments

Assignments are group work (a group consists of max 4 students). Feedback is given by the teachers and by student peers in coaching sessions and during initial (draft) presentations. 

• Draft business presentation ('pass/fail')
• Introduce the guest speaker ('pass/fail')
• Written business model. Students will propose an original case topic to report on in their business plan proposal. In the business case proposal the students will describe their initial steps of entrepreneurship, i.e. the business model building blocks, relevant stakeholders, the market position, the business strategy and financial plans. (0.4: research part 0.2 and business part 0.2))
• Pitch presentations of business case topic. Students will present and defend their business case proposal in pitch presentations. The students will give a draft pitch presentation at the start of the course and the final end pitch takes place the last day of the course. (0.3)
• Stakeholder presentation. The students will present the choice of their stakeholders that are important for their business topic (0.15). 
• Make a video. The students will make a short video on the business topic of their proposal. The video’s will be presented during the end pitch presentations. (0.15)

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Contact information

Coordinator

• prof. dr. P.J. Verschure

Staff

• dr. Renée van Amerongen
• prof. dr. Stanley Brul
• Huub Hoefsloot
• drs. Quint van Loosen
• B.J.E.A. Sutorius