Course overview
Students will identify new product opportunities which are applicable to the University, in particular their School, with an emphasis on biomedical consumables. The students, as part of a group, will form a virtual company, and develop a product development plan, including a production schedule, projected costings as well as good laboratory practice (GLP), quality assurance (QA), and quality control (QC) procedures. The successful product development plan will be implemented as part of the course objectives. This course will enable students to develop skills relevant to the biotechnology industry by enhancing their understanding of the processes involved in the commercialisation of scientific research. The steps involved in taking a product from the research laboratory to the market will be illustrated by case studies, focusing on intellectual property rights and infringement (freedom to operate), regulatory requirements and market competition, as well as practical experience in developing a commercially acceptable product. Course participants include staff from a number of University departments, intellectual property lawyers, and contributors from industry and government bodies.
Course learning outcomes
- Understand and provide examples of commercial biotechnology related research and development.
- Understand the nature of intellectual property, the importance and limitations of patents, the patenting process, patent infringement (freedom to operate), and IP management.
- Understand the issues and processes involved in regulating genetically manipulated organisms and new pharmaceuticals.
- Understand the essential information, skills and stages involved in the commercialisation of biotechnology research, including the principles of good laboratory practice (GLP), quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA), and apply these skills to the in-house production of a product identified for development.
- Demonstrate an ability to collect, research and integrate information from different sources and present in both written and oral forms as a research and development plan, individually and or collaboratively as part of a team.
- Understand and critically evaluate published literature.