Business Development, 7.5 credits

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in health care, biomedicine, biology, cellular and molecular biology, pharmaceutics, chemistry, medicine or biotechnology. English language skills equivalent to English B at Swedish upper secondary school.

The course aims to give an understanding of the basics of business development in the life science industry, that is pharamceuticals, medical technology and biotechnology.

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Regarding knowledge and understanding

• explain the basics of business development and identify situations where an organisation may need to initiate business development initiatives,
• describe the essential elements for successful alliances between companies and external organisations active in the life science industry,

Regarding skills and ability

• apply basic methods of due diligence, valuing and business intelligence and competitor analysis,
• identify and analyse the processes that can lead to a deal,

Regarding judgement and approach

• critically assess and evaluate the ethical dimensions in business development.

The course deals with the following themes:

• Background to why business development as a concept emerged
• Methods for business intelligence and competitor analysis
• Due diligence of projects and companies
• Valuation of projects and companies
• Negotiation, decision-making and contract design
• Sources of funding for buiness development
• Different partnerships pros and cons and the factors influencing the outcome of partnerships

The course is at the master's level, where the students are assumed to be familiar with the most common study methods in higher education. The fundamental pedagogical view is based on entrepreneurial learning and requires an active student participation. The teaching consists of lectures, seminars case studies and assignments on group as well as individual levels.

The examination consists of

• a report from a group-project (Fail/Pass/Pass with Distinction) and the opposition on another groups report (Fail/Pass)
• an individual report (Fail/Pass/Pass with Distinction)
• a written examination (Fail/Pass/Pass with Distinction)

In order to pass the entire course all assignments need to get a pass. To get the grade Pass with Distinction on the entire course, you need to get a Pass with Disctinction on the written examination as well as the grade Pass with Distinction on at least one of the following examinations: report from group project or individual report. Submission of the written examinations after the deadline will result in the student missing the chance to get the grade pass with distinction.

Compulsory participation
Participation at seminars and presentations is compulsory. The course director assesses if and, in that case, how absence can be compensated. Before the student has participated in all compulsory parts or compensated absence in accordance with the course director's instructions, the student's results for respective part will not be registered in LADOK.

Limited number of examinations
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new admission is provided.

Participation in an examination is defined as an occasion on which a student attends an examination, even if the student submits a blank examination paper. If a student has registered to sit an examination, but does not attend the examination, this is not defined as participation in the examination.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

The course has been cancelled and was offered for the last time in the fall semester of 2019. The course has been replaced with another, and examination will be provided according to the guidelines in the syllabus for 4BP048. 

The course language is English.