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The Business of Biotechnology
William Bains and Chris Evans
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| Seminar Introduction |
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This seminar discusses the 'new' biotechnology industry's most spectacular commercial manifestation--'the biotech start-up company'. Its authors, William Bains and Sir Christopher Evans, have been involved in initiating a range of successful high-technology companies. In this seminar they offer their experience to discuss the factors contributing to the success and failure of the entrepreneurial biotechnology company. They stress the importance of the culture and people within the firm and offer a comprehensive understanding of the various forms of funding available to new biotechnology firms. They also develop appropriate management structures for small firms, and discuss the importance of the management hierarchy and the board of directors. The seminar has repercussions for many small businesses, discussing what you need to have, and what you need to do, if you are to start up a small company based on the application of science. The seminar is based on chapter 12 from the book Basic Biotechnology which offers a full account of the current state of biotechnology, from the fundamental scientific principles to the practical applications and social implications.
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| Learning Objectives |
List the main areas that new biotechnology companies work in. Describe the important factors for harnessing scientific creativity into a commercial enterprise. Index the different forms of company investment, and align these to appropriate stages of company development. Map a functional management structure and corporate culture onto a biotechnology firm. Measure the importance of patents in securing intellectual property and corporate income. Understand the most important factors for small businesses in creating successful entrepreneurship.
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This seminar is extracted from chapter 12 of Basic Biotechnology, published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright Cambridge University Press, 2001.
 | Biotechnology impinges on everyone{A146}s lives. It is one of the major technologies of the twenty-first century. Its huge, wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary activities include recombinant DNA techniques, cloning and genetics, and the application of microbiology to the production of goods as every-day as bread, beer, cheese and antibiotics. It continues to revolutionise treatments of many diseases, and is used to provide clean technologies and to deal with environmental problems. Basic Biotechnologyis a mainstream account of the current state of biotechnology, written to provide the reader with insight, inspiration and instruction into the skills and arts of the subject. It does this by explaining the fundamental aspects that underpin all biotechnology and provides examples of how these principles are put into operation: from starting substrate to final product. The book is essential reading for all students and teachers of biotechnology and applied microbiology, and for researchers in the many biotechnology industries. Basic Biotechnology
Colin Ratledge, Bjørn Kristiansen
Paperback (2001) |
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