BMS3000 : Project in Biomedical Sciences & Business

  • Module Leader(s): Dr Carys Watts
  • Owning School: Biomedical Sciences
Semesters
Semester 2 Credit Value: 40
ECTS Credits: 20.0

Aims

To develop the ability of the students to understand and evaluate a piece of academic research in biomedical sciences, to produce a business plan and funding request to develop a product spin-off from a piece of academic research in the field of biomedical sciences.

Module Summary (For pre-entry promotional purposes):

This module is only available to students undertaking the full final year of study in the degree of BSc Biomedical Sciences & Management within the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

Students will be paired with a member of academic staff from both the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Buisness Studies. Pairing of a student with research active academic supervisor and a supervisor from the Business School will enable a fusion of the disciplines and provide scope for both sides to learn new skills and apply business knowledge in a novel situation.

The supervisor from the School of Biomedical Sciences will provide the student with a piece of research or idea, which has the possibility to be developed as a spin-out idea or product. This would be expected to be a real-life situation where an academic may benefit from the business skills that the student can apply to their research.

The end products of the project will be a scientific review of the research area including possibilites for spin-off ideas, a business plan and a pitch for funding.

Outline Of Syllabus

N/A

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Academic Staff Contact Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching12:002:002:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops13:003:003:00N/A
Guided Independent StudyReflective learning activity91:009:000:00N/A
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study1376:00376:000:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDissertation/project related supervision101:0010:0010:00N/A
Total400:0015:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Tutorials with project leaders are used to develop the student's appreciation of the chosen areas of research in biomedical sciences and to support the development of a business plan and pitch for funding. Private study will enable the student to understand and evaluate the research topic, to write a critical account of the topic and to develop and write the business plan and pitch for funding. The seminar and workshop will provide background and will enable a progressive board game (and online version) to build their business feasibility cases.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written exercise2M403000 word written review of a scientific research area or topic.
Written exercise2M402000 word Business Plan
Prof skill assessmnt2M20Pitch for funding
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

There are three elements to the assessment.

i) the 3000 word review of the scientific research in the chosen area together with an analysis of the possible areas for commercial development will enable the knowledge and skills outcomes within the scientific research area to be assessed;

ii) the production of a business plan around the research idea will assess the understanding of the potential exploitation of the research.

iii) the pitch for funding will assess the business skills required to develop a novel product or commercially exploit an area of research and will assess the oral presentation skills of the students.

Reading Lists

Timetable

Disclaimer: The University will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver modules in accordance with the descriptions set out in this catalogue. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, however, the University reserves the right to introduce changes to the information given including the addition, withdrawal or restructuring of modules if it considers such action to be necessary.