The new and exceptional BioBusiness and Innovation Program (BBIP) has just finished. The elite graduate elective offered by in cooperation by CBS, the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen in order to bridge the competency gap between business and biotech graduates has run its course, and one if its participating students from CBS looks back and shares his experiences from the inspiring initiative.
Cross-disciplinary and practical masters elective
Late September 2010, I had the unique experience of being one of 30 passionate students (14 from CBS, eight from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and eight from University of Copenhagen (KU) who got into the first BioBusiness and Innovation Program (BBIP).
Here we were divided into seven interdisciplinary teams and charged with promoting innovation in the Danish biotech industry. Each team received a real-life biotech invention along with a clear mission: Write a business plan to commercialize the invention and compete with your idea in Venture Cup.
Throughout the course we were continuously trained and energized by a large number of skilful people, among others Asger Aamund from Bavarian Nordic and bright representatives from Boston Consulting Group, Seed Capital, Novozymes, Coloplast and LEO Pharma.
Value creation from interdisciplinary Teamwork
I joined the course to gain more experience from interdisciplinary teamwork within a business context. Apart from this being a fun challenge for myself, I was also aware that many employers see this as a highly valuable experience, simply because many of them find it to be a struggle when people with different competence profiles are to join forces about specific projects. Therefore, being able to deal with this difficult challenge can make you a highly valuable candidate for many interesting jobs.
Indeed, working in interdisciplinary teams is difficult. The most common challenge to stress here is the creation of a common understanding within the team. Our team consisted of two CBS students, one Ph.D. student in microbiology from DTU and one Ph.D. student in veterinary medicine from KU Life, and needless to say, we did not always understand each other well.
In my experience, creating a common understanding cannot be rushed – it just takes time. In our case it was steadily created from several hours of collaborative work around our business plan. The business plan played a significant role, because we created the structure together – and more importantly, it was a goal we all had in common.
The how-to’s of crossing the disciplinary gap
Do not get me wrong, it is exceedingly frustrating to have to explain the disciplinary understandings that you take for granted in your own field of expertise, but I strongly encourage you to do it as much as possible. Being able to put words to your knowledge and share it is a lot more valuable than just having the knowledge – and verbally articulating your knowledge also gives you a better understanding of things yourself.
To illustrate my point, try to explain a non-business student what an asset is for instance. The goal is to enable the non-business student to explain it to you and others, so they understand. Here are my five main recommendations to anyone, when they start work in an interdisciplinary team:
1) Socialize a lot (not only drinking!) in the beginning to get to know each other and create trust.
2) Discuss and clarify your expectations, and then set a common goal.
3) Meet and work together as often as possible.
4) Always show respect by listening carefully and do not interrupt each other.
5) Evaluate the process continuously, especially after the final exam.
Proven BBIP-results from the cross-disciplinary efforts
The results of the efforts speak for themselves. Four out of the semester’s seven BBIP-teams were selected to compete in the Venture Cup Idea Competition finals, and even though none of us won, it was still an extraordinary opportunity to learn from a lot of valuable feedback – I know I did. Furthermore, three of the BBIP teams were nominated for the CBS University Prize, which was then won by one of our teams won, awarding them 2,000 DKK.
It is my clear belief and impression that our success is a result of the unique combination of interdisciplinary teamwork and the BBIP teaching modules. I really hope that others will follow the BBIP example by offering interdisciplinary courses and programmes within various disciplines. I strongly believe that it will make a valuable difference to both students and companies.
BioBusiness and Innovation Program in brief:
The BBIP is the first attempt to bridge the competency gap between business and biotech graduates. It is also the first course cooperation between Copenhagen Business School (CBS), The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and from the fall semester 2010, The Faculty of Life Science of the Copenhagen University (LIFE). BBIP is offered as an elective course in the final semesters of master level studies of the three universities, including PhD students.
Christian Nielsen in brief:
Christian is studying his last semester in the Management of Innovation and Business Development program (cand.merc.mib) at CBS. On the side, he is working as a management consultant and executive advisor, and has a broad experience from venture capital, the Danish Foreign Ministry and architecture. Christian’s aspiration in life is simple: Explore • Innovate • Empower the World.
Tilføj kommentar