Science Based Entrepreneurship

Do you have a science background and now stepping into a role that touches entrepreneurship?
In this course, participants learn about the insights into innovative and entrepreneurial processes. These insights are applicable to innovative projects within existing organizations as well as to the creation of new business ventures. Through the lens of widely applied frameworks (such as Design Thinking and the Lean Start-Up Method), participants learn about opportunity recognition, idea generation, and opportunity evaluation. Multiple learning methods are combined to create an iterative combination of lectures, practical exercises, and explicit reflection on the process and outcomes of their applied work. In line with these topics, this format draws heavily on participants’ capacity to self-steer, work under time pressure, and deal with ambiguity.

In addition, participants learn to appreciate strategic challenges regarding science-based business start-ups. Particular focus is given to the associated legal and financial complexity, such as the importance of protecting intellectual property right versus societal impact through open science, or the sequential funding process of scientific scale-ups and what criteria to use to select the right sources of funding in each round. Again, insights are derived from academic literature as well as direct interaction with examples from the real-world.

This course is part of the master Science & Business Management and specifically designed for participants without a background in the subject matter and with a focus on organizations that operate in (life) science sectors. Participant will be in a mixed classroom with master students.

On completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Understand and apply a structured approach towards the creation of innovative projects, including opportunity recognition and idea generation
• Understand how to validate entrepreneurial projects, including market, financial and legal considerations
• Appreciate the role of failure, and demonstrate constructively critical self-reflection
• Evaluate strategic choices regarding the financial and legal aspects of science-based scale-ups

This course is aimed at professionals working in healthcare science, with a bachelor’s/master’s degree (or even PhD) in the science field and with an interest in the business side of organizations.

6 weeks, 2 contact moments of 2 hours + 14 hours of work in between per week

Exam / final assessment in week 7

This face-to-face course is offered via lectures and tutorials on-campus, which require your physical attendance (mandatory).

Alongside these, participants are expected to dedicate approximately 14 hours per week to self-study, individual assignments and groupwork on projects. Questions on theory and exercises can be posted on the appropriate forum on the university digital learning environment (Brightspace) or asked during the lectures or tutorials. The exam will be on location (i.e. not online).

To enroll in this course, you need to have:

• Dutch residency
• Master Degree in Life Sciences or Natural Sciences, with graduation date <10 years
• No previous formal education or work experience in the course topic

Various academic papers and (science-related) case studies

Please note that this course is part of an existing program within the Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.) in collaboration with the Graduate School of Life Sciences. Tuitition fees may alter during the year.

General questions

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Content questions

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