2015
Briefing Notes
for
Participants
Table of Contents
Welcome to the 2015 Competition ..................................................................................... 1
Programme for the 2015 Competition................................................................................. 2
Schedule..................................................................................................................... 2
Logistics ..................................................................................................................... 2
At the workshop .......................................................................................................... 3
Your Biotech Business ...................................................................................................... 4
Where do you start? ..................................................................................................... 4
Your business idea ....................................................................................................... 4
Themes ...................................................................................................................... 5
Things to consider ........................................................................................................ 6
Protecting your idea ..................................................................................................... 6
Is there a market for your product/service? .................................................................... 7
What is your business strategy? .................................................................................... 7
Preparing the business plan .......................................................................................... 7
Help?! ........................................................................................................................ 8
Team Roles ..................................................................................................................... 9
Where to Find Relevant Information ................................................................................. 10
Patent Information ..................................................................................................... 10
Regional Agencies ...................................................................................................... 10
Research Councils and Agencies .................................................................................. 10
Companies ................................................................................................................ 11
Other Sites ............................................................................................................... 11
Example Programme Outline ........................................................................................... 12
Planning Guide .............................................................................................................. 13
Welcome to the 2015 Competition
We are pleased that you have decided to participate in the Biotechnology YES competition and
we are sure that you will find it a valuable experience. The world of work is constantly changing
and postgraduate researchers now expect to hold several jobs with different employers before
they reach the end of their careers. We hope that by taking part in YES you will develop an
awareness of the needs of industry in respect to the breadth of skills that an employer is
seeking. You will also consider the implications of starting your own “business” and gain an
understanding of the issues and considerations involved in the commercialisation of bioscience
research.
The biosciences have been in the forefront of new industrial developments in the UK for the past
two decades and there is no doubt that biotechnology will be an area of continued growth and a
focus for employment of young scientists in the discipline. By taking part in this competition
you will have the opportunity to hear presentations by representatives from the biotechnology
industry, and the related financial and legal sectors, about the ways they go about making a
business work. This competition has been devised for you to further understand the processes
involved in bringing the biosciences to the marketplace. You will be part of a team that is given
the task of developing a hypothetical business, and in the exercise you will produce a business
plan that shows the business could be viable, investable and ultimately successful.
Page 1
Programme for the 2015 Competition
Schedule
30 Sept – 02 Oct
Food, nutrition and wellbeing
Workshop: Unilever, Colworth
Accommodation: The Park Inn Bedford
07 – 09 October
Bioscience - Nottingham
Workshop: MediCity Nottingham
Accommodation: Park Plaza Nottingham
14 – 16 October
Biomedical
Workshop: GSK and Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Stevenage
21 – 23 October
Bioscience - Manchester
Workshop: Old Trafford
Accommodation: Ramada Manchester, Salford Quays
04 – 06 November
Bioscience - Edinburgh
Workshop: Holiday Inn Edinburgh (Corstorphine Road, EH12 6UA)
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
11 – 13 November
Plant, microbial and environmental
Workshop: Syngenta, Jealott's Hill International Research Centre
Accommodation: Coppid Beech
10 December
Final
Venue: London
Logistics
Accommodation will be provided on the Wednesday and Thursday night. Meals will be provided
throughout the three days of the workshop (see page 12 for the programme outline).
Bedroom check-in is after 15.00 on the Wednesday and check out on the Friday is 12.00. A
secure room for your luggage will be provided on the Wednesday and Friday. Any incidentals
(eg telephone calls, newspapers, drinks) will need to be settled on your departure.
Reasonable travel expenses will be re-imbursed. Further information on the travel policy can be
found at http://www.biotechnologyyes.co.uk/biotechnologyyes/workshops/travelpolicy.aspx.
Page 2
At the workshop
Recognising the pressures on your time we have organised the competition over the shortest
time scale that is reasonable. To achieve the goal you have been set it is therefore essential
that your team has come up with the idea, and have carried out the market research, which will
be the basis of your company before attending the workshop.
The timetable clearly indicates the pressure you will be working under so it is imperative that
you get down to organising and preparing your business plan as quickly as possible on the
Wednesday afternoon. You do not have to prepare a hard copy of your plan because you
will be assessed solely on the oral presentation.
Mentors will be at hand to answer questions, give advice and provide a focus for your ideas.
You are encouraged to seek advice from the mentors on your general strategy and in relation to
specific aspects of your planning. You should recognise that mentors can only offer you advice
– there are no definitive answers and part of your remit is to decide on the best strategy for
your ‘start-up’ company. You will also need to consider carefully how best to organise your time
with the mentors to get the most value from their input. Mentors will be available on
Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.
Your electronic presentation, using Microsoft PowerPoint, must be saved on a USB and
submitted at 8am on the Friday morning.
It is essential that you arrange for your team to bring a PC, preferably a lap-top, to the
workshop as we are unable to provide computers for your use. If you wish to produce printouts
then a printer is also required. You will need to ensure these are properly covered by
insurance.
Presentation of your business plan before a panel of assessors will take place on the Friday.
Each team is allotted 25 minutes; 15 minutes presentation and 10 minutes for questions. You
must keep strictly to time.
The criteria against which your business plan will be judged:
overall structure and presentation;

feasibility of the research and development and IP strategy;

feasibility of the commercial and marketing strategy;

feasibility of the financial planning strategy; and

feasibility of the management and personnel strategy.
You will be competing in a group of either seven or more teams. One of which will be selected
to progress to the final.
The teams selected to go forward to the final of the competition, to be held in London in
December, will be required to submit a hard copy of an executive summary (1 page size A4) of
their business plan. This should be emailed to Tracey Hassall-Jones by Friday 27 November.
Page 3
Your Biotech Business
The task you will be set in the Biotechnology YES competition is to produce a business plan for a
hypothetical biotech company. Establishing and operating a successful business needs careful
thought and planning. A business must have objectives and plans to show how these will be
achieved. The formulation and documentation of these various ideas is a business plan. In real
life, as a company develops, the plan evolves to reflect this and it is always there for the
directors of the business to use as their yardstick to measure the growth and progression of the
company.
Business plans are also required when a company seeks funding to start up or to further its
development. In this respect the plan is a “selling” document. Your team’s plan will describe
your hypothetical business and will be presented to a panel of specialists, who represent
hypothetical investors. The aim of your presentation is to convince the panel to invest in your
team and company.
Where do you start?
Your business idea
Firstly, you need an idea for your business. You might consider whether the work of one of the
members of your team has the potential to be developed as a new product or service.
Alternatively, look in journals such as New Scientist or Nature for ideas with similar potential.
Please note: it is very important that if your idea is based on a piece of real research in your
laboratory that is not yet in the public domain, you seek advice from your Supervisor/Head of
Department. As you will learn at the workshop, disclosure of confidential information can
prevent patenting the idea that has been disclosed. We would therefore suggest that your
business idea be based on real science that is in the public domain, while ensuring that the
product development is fictitious, so that problems regarding confidentiality can be avoided.
Examples of ideas from the 2014 competition included:
CLEANZYME
University of Manchester
CLEANZYME developed a revolutionary biocatalytic cleaning technology
designed to reduce the downtime of industry-scale chemical reactors by
expediting the cleaning process. The CLEANZYME core carries an array of
immobilised enzymes which are capable of degrading the most common
contaminants found in such reactors, converting them into highly soluble
compounds which can be washed away.
EnviroGrow Ltd
Rothamsted Research
EnviroGrow Ltd developed a biodegradable scaffold matrix which can be used
to encapsulate microbial inoculum for additions to soil. The first product in their
portfolio is PhosphoGrow which contains a phosphate solubilising fungus which
makes the existing soil inorganic phosphorous available to crop plants.
Geltide Biosolutions
University of Leeds
A patented self-assembling peptide slow release drug delivery platform that has
controllable chemical and mechanical properties as well as gelation kinetics and
release profiles. The current application focus of Geltide Biosolutions is in
the treatment of chronic back pain caused by a bacterial infection.
Page 4
Haemotech
University of Liverpool
Most cardiovascular disease is caused by atherosclerosis, the build-up of
fatty deposits (plaques) resulting in the narrowing or blockage of one or
more major arteries. Haemotech developed a novel ‘plaque-busting’ drug
specifically targeting and degrading these plaques into smaller pieces,
thereby improving blood flow and quality of life.
InfectDetect Ltd
Imperial College London
InfectDetect Ltd developed a paper-based diagnostic test that will allow
the diagnosis of bacterial or viral infections in six minutes. Aiming to target
inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics, the VBXpress test will be a vital tool
in the fight against antimicrobial resistance in the future.
Melatec
University of Manchester
Melatec developed a hair serum which reverses the greying process
through a novel, patented system that breaks down the build-up of
hydrogen peroxide seen in grey hair follicles.
MiraeTech
Rothamsted Research
MiraeTech developed a novel delivery system that provides an efficient,
sustainable and cost-effective method for the application of phosphorus
fertilizer.
Nanogen Ltd
University of Liverpool
Nanogen Ltd developed a non-invasive therapy to aid joint repair in
osteoarthritis. Their product is a topically applied gel containing
nanovesicles that are able to penetrate into the joint capsule. Here, they
release a compound that not only combats joint pain but also targets the
cause of joint degeneration.
Phytec
Durham University
Phytec extracted and purified a natural plant compound which can
increase muscle mass development. Their flagship product, Phytofeed,
increases lean meat growth in cattle and pigs and is an attractive
alternative to the controversial anabolic steroids currently used in many
countries today.
Porphatech
University of Sheffield
Porphatech creates innovative filtration systems and has developed
Porphazorb, a novel high binding filtration system for removing organic
pollutants from water. Porphazorb will save water companies millions of
pounds per year on filtration costs, whilst simultaneously improving the
quality of water for consumers.
SenzaSeeds Ltd
University of Leicester
SenzaSeeds Ltd have discovered coffee seeds that produce plants with
uncaffeinated beans. The uncaffeinated beans allow the production of
naturally caffeine-free coffee without any loss of flavour.
VitaSense
Royal Holloway, University
of London
VitaSense developed a novel vitamin D and B12 testing platform using a
new compound based on its electrochemical properties.
Themes
Bioscience
For those attending the Bioscience workshops, ideas must fall into one of the following themes:

animal health;

bioenergy;

crop science;

global food security;

healthy and safe food;

industrial biotechnology;

lifelong health and wellbeing;

soil science and agri-systems; and

synthetic biology.
Page 5
Biomedical
The Biomedical workshop is hosted by GSK and Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. For those
attending this workshop, ideas must fall into one of the following themes:

drug delivery;

new tools for therapies;

drug discovery;

diagnostic tests and medical devices;

healthy ageing; and

diet and health.
Food, nutrition and wellbeing
The Food, nutrition and wellbeing workshop is hosted by Unilever. For those attending this
workshop, ideas must fall into one of the following themes:

health and wellbeing through diet;

understanding and supporting healthy behaviours;

enhancing food safety;

safer and more sustainable supply chains;

healthy ageing;

optimising processes and managing waste; and

novel ingredients and manufacturing processes.
Plant, microbial and environmental
The Plant, Microbial and Environmental workshop is hosted by Syngenta. For those attending
this workshop, ideas must fall into one of the following themes:

improving biodiversity in a farmed landscape;

more effective disease management;

reducing usage of water, fertilisers, chemical inputs;

sustainable food production;

more effective pest control;

sustainable liquid fuel production; and

technologies transferable to smallholder farmers.
Things to consider
When deciding upon your business idea, you will need to consider the aspects listed below. You
will be given a lot more information during the talks at the workshops, however, there is a need
for some preliminary work beforehand.
Protecting your idea
You will need to consider how you will protect your idea. In biotechnology, this is normally done
through patents. A patent gives the inventor a monopoly right (normally 20 years) over that
invention, in return for full disclosure of the invention. For further information regarding
intellectual property, please read the Exploitation Guide hosted on our website.
Page 6
Is there a market for your product/service?
New products can be technology driven (a new discovery allows for the development of a new
product) or market-led (a market for a product is identified and research carried out to develop
a suitable product). How will you formulate your business idea? Investors are generally looking
for a market-led business to give confidence of return on their investment.
When deciding upon your business, it is very important to identify the market for your
product/service. You will then need to consider:- What is the size of the market? What factors
affect your market? Is there any competition? If so, why and how are you better?
Potential investors are going to be very interested in the answers to these questions, because it
determines how much money you are going to make and you will need to convince the investors
that you (and they!) are going to make money!
What is your business strategy?
Once you have an idea for your business, you will need to define what your business is going to
do. For example, you may concentrate on research and development, producing new leads for
a larger company to take to market. Alternatively you may want to manufacture a product
yourself, and may or may not contract out marketing and selling your product. You may not
have a product, but a platform technology that others can use to develop new products.
Once you have defined what your company is going to do, you will need to consider how you
are going to do it, and identify the resources you will need. For example, if you are
manufacturing a product you will need a manufacturing facility, similarly, selling a product
normally requires a sales force. Thus your business will need to think about the personnel and
facilities that are required.
For the purposes of the competition, you will (normally) be in a team of five. Each of you will
assume a role; Managing Director, Research and Development Director, Operations Director,
Commercial and Marketing Director and Finance Director (please see the section on “team roles”
for further details). This will help you divide up the work to be done. However, it is a team
effort and each of you will require a full understanding of the business as a whole, and how
these functions integrate.
Preparing the business plan
Your team will prepare its plan during the three-day workshop, which will be given by oral
presentation. You are not required to produce a written business plan. The plan should
reflect the fact that you are aiming to attract investment and you will therefore need to be
aware of the cost implications for the business you have chosen. How much money do you
need? What is everything going to cost?
Remember that the investors are only going to invest in your company if it is going to make
them money, so you will need to think about this, both in terms of how much return they can
expect and when.
Page 7
Your team will also be provided with two textbooks; “Enterprise for Life Scientists” and
“Ingenuity in Practice: A Guide for Clear Thinking”. “Enterprise for Life Scientists” describes
how to generate, assess, fund, communicate, market and protect ideas, including how to write a
business plan, the steps required to start up a business, and key regulatory and ethical issues.
“Ingenuity in Practice” makes the latest thinking on creativity and effective problem solving
available to the general reader. It is designed to help generate and evaluate breakthrough
ideas, especially within complex areas.
Help?!
This may all sound a little daunting. Do not worry. All aspects of starting a new business will
be covered in the talks you will hear at the workshop and there will be plenty of opportunity to
ask questions. You will also be able to discuss your ideas and get advice from a team of
mentors who will be available on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.
Included in these notes are some useful web sites that may help you to formulate the idea for
your business and carry out some market research. It might also be useful to look at web sites
for real companies to give you an appreciation of how information is presented.
This competition is a great opportunity for you to not only learn more about how bioscience
businesses work, but also to make contacts and network with people who work in this industry.
You will meet a lot of different people at the workshop but the process can start as you prepare
for it. If you need information, contact people in your research department, in the technology
transfer office, local companies etc. Be inventive and use your resourcefulness!
Page 8
Team Roles
Whilst individuals will assume a specific role within their teams, each member of the team will
need to work closely with colleagues in defining and developing the business idea.
Managing Director
The Managing Director has the task of co-ordinating the efforts of the team. S/he should take
the lead in agreeing how the company’s aims will be achieved and in orchestrating the team’s
activities, paying particular attention to time management. The Managing Director should be
capable of confidently articulating the company objectives and strengths and of ensuring that
the team works together effectively.
Research and Development Director
The Research and Development Director should be capable of clearly communicating the
science/technology on which the company is based to non-specialists. S/he needs to develop a
cohesive research and development strategy for the business. The strategy needs a sound base
of intellectual property rights that will develop as the business progresses.
Operations Director
This role has a wide-ranging remit covering:- human resources (who you will employ and how)
and facilities (where will you operate from and why; how and where will your products be made;
what technology/equipment needs have to be met and how).
Commercial and Marketing Director
This role involves a combination of information gathering and strategic thinking, leading to a
definition of the route by which the company will make money. This requires knowledge of:
market research; market forecasts; the market size for the product; who the competition are;
what is unique about the product(s); who you are selling it to; and public relations.
Consideration will need to be given to routes to market, intellectual property portfolio
management, licensing and alliances.
Finance Director
The Finance Director has responsibility for financial planning, investor relations (dealt with in
conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director), identifying what funding is
required to setup/develop the company and showing how much money the company will make
and spend, and when. S/he will need to prepare financial projections showing profit and loss
accounts for five years.
Page 9
Where to Find Relevant Information
Information may be gathered from a number of sources. The Internet is an obvious place to
search for much of the information you may require before attending the workshop. It can be
useful in searching for a technology to form the basis of your business, the subsequent market
research on the business idea and for getting help with some of the issues you will face, e.g.
intellectual property. Below are some examples of web sites that can provide information.
Patent Information
Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
www.cipa.org.uk
European Patent Office
www.epo.org
Intellectual Property Office
www.ipo.gov.uk
Regional Agencies
Bionow
www.bionow.co.uk
Invest Northern Ireland
www.investni.com
One Nucleus
www.onenucleus.com
Scottish Enterprise
www.scottish-enterprise.com
Welsh Assembly Government
http://business.wales.gov.uk
Research Councils and Agencies
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council
www.bbsrc.ac.uk
Medical Research Council
www.mrc.ac.uk
Medical Research Council Technology
The technology transfer company of the Medical
Research Council
www.mrctechnology.org
Natural Environment Research Council
www.nerc.ac.uk
Research Councils UK
RCUK is a strategic partnership set up to
champion science, engineering and technology
supported by the seven UK Research Councils
www.rcuk.ac.uk
Page 10
Companies
Most companies have excellent web sites. The following list is not exhaustive, but will give you
valuable insights including in some cases financial statements. Many sites have information on
job vacancies so you may wish to check out these aspects also.
Amgen Ltd
Asterand
Biogen Idec
Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals
Danisco
Futuragene Ltd
Green Biologics
GW Pharmaceuticals plc
MedImmune
Neogen Europe Ltd
Orla Protein Technologies
Oxagen Ltd
Precious Cells
Quintiles International
Vernalis plc
www.amgen.co.uk
www.asterand.com/Asterand/
www.biogenidec.com
www.cyclacel.com
www.danisco.com
www.futuragene.com
www.greenbiologics.com
www.gwpharm.com
www.medimmune.com
www.neogeneurope.com
www.orlaproteins.com
www.oxagen.co.uk
www.precious-cells.com
www.quintiles.com
www.vernalis.com
Other Sites
Bioindustry Association
The trade association for innovative enterprises
in the UK’s bioscience sector
www.bioindustry.org
BTG
Technology transfer company, site has good
examples of biotech start-ups
www.btgplc.com
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
(BIS)
www.bis.gov.uk
EnterWeb
The Knowledge Portal for Small Business
www.enterweb.org
PraxisUnico
An educational not-for-profit organisation set
up to support innovation and commercialisation
of public sector and charity research for social
and economic impact
www.praxisunico.org.uk
Innovate UK
Promotes innovation.
www.innovateuk.org
Most universities and institutes have their own Industrial Liaison/Technology Transfer staff and
can provide valuable help and advice.
Page 11
Example Programme Outline
Wednesday
08.45
Registration
09.00
Welcome and Introduction
10.00
Intellectual Property and Patenting Strategy
11.00
Coffee/Tea
11.15
Raising and Managing Finance
12.15
Commercial and Marketing Strategies
13.00
Lunch
13.45
What next?
14.00
Preparation of business plans
Mentors available to advise in surgery sessions from 14.00 to 18.00
19.30
Dinner
Thursday
09.30
Company Case History
10.00
Company Case History
10.30
Coffee/Tea
11.00
Company Case History
11.30
Company Case History
12.00
Company Case History
12.30
Lunch
13.15
What next?
13.30
Preparation of business plans
Mentors available to advise in surgery sessions from 14.00 to 18.00
19.30
Dinner
Friday
08.00
Submission of business plan presentation
09.30
Presentations (Teams 1 – 3)
11.00
Coffee/Tea
11.30
Presentations (Teams 4 – 6)
13.00
Lunch
14.00
Presentations (Teams 7 – 9)
15.30
Coffee/Tea
16.00
Concludes with the announcement of winners
Page 12
Planning Guide
Before the
Workshop
Preparation is the key!
You must have a clear view of your idea.
You must obtain the information you require to evaluate your market (e.g.
competitors, customers), IPR (e.g. patents, trademarks, copyrights),
finance (e.g. funding, costs), operations (facilities, utilities, materials,
human resources).
During the
Workshop
The talks are not lectures. They will provide information not definitive
answers. With the speakers and mentors input you will consistently rethink
your strategy – there will be an element of uncertainty.
Onsite
Amenities
Computer Projector
Wifi
Resources
Required
Hardware - Laptops
Software – Microsoft Office
Page 13