Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Introduction to Biomedical Companies
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish
Teaching staff
Questions that students may have will be resolved before or after class in person, or via email through direct contact throughout the course.
Introduction
The course aims to provide students with a perspective that complements the scientific one, enabling them to stay informed and, if applicable, make decisions related to pursuing a professional career in the field of biomedical entrepreneurship and management focused on research, development, and innovation. It is presented as an introductory course, as the curriculum includes core and elective subjects that will delve deeper into some of the topics introduced. The general approach of the course aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 (Good health and well-being), 4 (Quality education), 5 (Gender equality), 8 (Decent work and economic growth), 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure — with a focus on innovation), and 12 (Responsible consumption and production)
Pre-course requirements
None.
Objectives
-
To provide students with the foundations to understand the complexities involved in developing and commercializing a drug o un dispositivo médico (including pricing), beyond the scientific aspects related to its mechanism of action in relation to the disease. The focus on medicines and medical devices is related to SDG 3. The aspects of development, innovation, and responsible commercialization align with SDGs 8, 9, and 12.
-
To present the biomedical company as a necessary instrument for transforming scientific knowledge into economic and social value, in the form of services or products that improve patients’ quality of life. This approach aligns with health innovation (SDGs 3 and 9).
-
To offer students a general overview of the different types of biomedical companies and the professional profiles that may be part of them, with particular emphasis on recent examples of companies created in our environment and originating from academic research. This vision clearly aligns with SDGs 8 and 9.
-
The overall approach of the course aspires to achieve the highest levels of quality (SDG 4), while actively respecting and promoting gender equality (SDG 5).
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN13 - Identify the different fields and dynamics of a biomedical company, as well as the stages in the process of the transfer of basic knowledge to a product, technology or service and the methods for entrepreneurship and innovation that facilitate the stages of knowledge transfer.
- CP05 - Apply biological foundations in the search for practical solutions to health problems, following ethical standards and scientific rigour and respecting fundamental equal rights between men and women, and the promotion of human rights and the values inherent in a peaceful society of democratic values that includes inclusive, non-discriminatory language without stereotypes.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Upon completing the course, students should be able to:
- Explain the value chain from generating new ideas in the biomedical research lab and clinical trials to the creation of a new drug, technology, or service with patient impact.
- Recognize different types of biomedical companies, their business models, types of partners, etc., and relate real companies to those categories.
- Identify the main players in the Spanish and Catalan biomedical sectors.
- Understand the importance of non-scientific elements in the development of biomedical products or services: intellectual and industrial property, legal and regulatory aspects, financing strategies, non-scientific communication, industrial development (scaling and quality control), etc.
- Describe the main factors influencing the pricing of a biomedical product or service (basic notions of "market access").
- Distinguish current trends in biomedicine: precision or personalized therapy, gene therapy, cell therapy, immuno-oncology, etc.
- Recognize the basic elements of investor-oriented communication (pitching).
- Identify the different professional opportunities ("job descriptions") available to biomedical graduates and PhDs within the biomedical industry.
Syllabus
-
-
Basic definitions: what a company is, governance structures, basic management. Introduction to key concepts in biomedical business. The goal is for students to become familiar with day-to-day terminology that will be used in subsequent classes. A glossary of basic terms will also be provided for use throughout the course.
-
Drug or device development. The goal is for students to understand the timelines, risks, and costs involved in developing biomedical products and services, including regulatory, industrial, and legal aspects, beyond proving the efficacy and safety of a new treatment.
-
Introduction to the concepts defining companies that use biomedicine as a core element: what is meant by biotech, medtech, pharmaceutical, generic, biologics companies, etc.
-
Case session on the discovery and development of penicillin to introduce the four key viability dimensions that determine the success of a biomedical development: technical, industrial, regulatory, and commercial. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of incentives tied to an unmet need, the clearest indicator being economic incentive.
-
Case session on the history of vaccines and common elements found in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
-
Case session introducing the concept of patents (whose importance will have been mentioned in the penicillin case), in an open case format where students will discuss the various options for protecting industrial property, including basic definitions of what a patent is.
-
Evolution of the biomedical industry: from a single model (2000) to a diversified model (2025).
-
Description of current technologies generating the most expectations for the future of health (gene editing, CART, eHealth, oncoimmunology, precision medicine, cell and curative therapies, etc.). This class will also address the controversial issue of the price of health and medicines as an introduction to pharmacoeconomics.
-
Value of an R&D project: cost/benefit/profitability. Time value of money and expected value.
-
Practical group exercise on project valuation.
-
Basic principles of financing emerging biomedical companies. Focus on the concept of generating and selling future expectations, its analogy with capital and futures markets, and the difference between purely speculative markets and the risk-based biomedical financing model.
-
Economic evaluation of healthcare interventions (pharmacoeconomics).
-
Practical exercise in health economic evaluation.
-
Technology transfer models from academic biomedical research.
-
Concept of stakeholders, or interest groups, which is key to understanding the economic levers of the biomedical sector.
-
General review of the course’s main concepts and an overview of possible career paths in the sector.
-
Case methodology and visits:
Practical classes will be based on 10–12 visits from local professionals who will present their career paths and business models. The content of these visits will be part of the evaluation. -
The case method will primarily develop communication skills and promote open discussion of biomedical topics freely chosen by students. Each student must present a biomedical topic of their choice (a company, disease, project, process, etc.) in a pre-established format of 6–8 slides and a five-minute pitch. Each case session will open with 3–5 pitches followed by open discussion of the presented material. At the end of the course, all pitches will be compiled into an album available online and in the department (a methodology recognized as innovative by UIC).
The topics and content developed during these discussions will be assessed, including one or two questions in the final exam.
-
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Master classes (18 hours): presentation of a theoretical topic by the teacher. Classes will be held in catalan, UIC offers a vast array of resources to facilitate the comprehension and learning of catalan, they can be found in this section of the university's web: Cursos de català | Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (uic.es). In any case the alumni are free to use any language of the course (Catalan, Spanish or English) for discussion, questions, exams, etc.
Practical classes and case methods (CM) (37 hours): The practical classes will be based on visits from a wide range of relevant professionals from biomedical companies. The case methodology will be based on the project “The pitch as a learning tool: individual pitches on free topics as a basic skill and support for case methodology,” recognized as an innovative best practice by the UIC’s teaching innovation classroom during the 2022-2023 academic year. Each student will prepare and present a "pitch" (a short 5-minute presentation) on a free biomedical topic (a company, a disease, a situation, a product...) and a collective discussion will be constructed on the presented topic in which, following the case methodology, basic concepts of the subject will be consolidated. The collection of pitches from the course will be compiled into a report that will be deposited for consultation in the department of health sciences.
Language in practical classes or discussion will be that of the presenter (visit or alumni presenting pitch).
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Assessment parameters in the first call:
20 % Attitude and participation
10 % Pitch
10 % Company visit reports
20 % Midterm exam
40 % Final exam (in the first call)
Attendance lower than 80% of the classes will result in a 10% penalty on the overall grade obtained.
If the final exam is not passed, the average will not be calculated; in order to pass the course it is mandatory to pass the final exam with a mark of 5.
Assessment parameters in the second call:
In the second call, the grade corresponding to attitude and class participation, as well as the pitch, visits, and attendance, will be kept. The final grade, therefore, will be as follows:
20 % Attitude and participation (kept from the first call)
10 % Pitch (kept from the first call)
10 % Visit report (kept from the first call)
60 % Final exam (in the second call)
Class attendance: the penalty criterion is maintained in case of not having attended at least 80% of the classes (both lectures and case method).
If the final exam is not passed, the average will not be calculated; in order to pass the course it is mandatory to pass the final exam with a mark of 5.
Assessment parameters in the third call or subsequent calls:
From the third call onwards, the grade corresponding to attitude and class participation, as well as the pitch, visits, and attendance from the first year taken, will be kept, although the student has the possibility of improving these grades in later years. The final grade, therefore, will be as follows:
20 % Attitude and participation (improved or kept from the first call)
10 % Pitch (improved or kept from the first call)
10 % Visits (improved or kept from the first call)
60 % Final exam (in the third call or later)
Class attendance: the penalty criterion is maintained in case of not having attended at least 80% of the classes (both lectures and case method) from the first call. In can be improved in case of assistance to the classes in the ongoing course.
If the final exam is not passed, the average will not be calculated; in order to pass the course it is mandatory to pass the final exam with a mark of 5
It is highly recommended for repeating students to attend practical classes (external visits) and, as far as possible, case method sessions, since exam topics vary from year to year.
Evaluation of attitude and class/case participation:
Subjective assessment by the teaching staff and speakers, based on:
-
Willingness to learn and a positive and constructive attitude
-
Proactivity in discussion dynamics
-
Active participation in questions asked by the teaching staff/speaker
-
Raising questions or doubts during the sessions
-
Respect for the ideas expressed by classmates
Exams:
Midterm exam
70 % of the grade:
Test with multiple-choice or true/false questions; if multiple-choice, 4 answer options, one or two valid options (to be indicated accordingly). Incorrect answers will subtract from the grade in the manner specified in the exam.
30 % of the grade:
2 essay questions (15 lines): critical explanation of a news item (to be chosen from 2 options) and explanation of the business activity profile of a company or case discussed in class, including pitches (to be chosen from 2 options seen in class).
Final exam (all calls)
70 % of the grade:
Test with multiple-choice or true/false questions; if multiple-choice, 4 answer options, one or two valid options (to be indicated accordingly). Incorrect answers will subtract from the grade in the manner specified in the exam.
30 % of the grade:
2 essay questions (15 lines): explanation of the business activity profile of a company (to be chosen from 2 options from the class visits) and integrated elaboration of theoretical concepts described in lectures based on a news item or situation.
Bibliography and resources
Ciencia y Negocio, una visita a Businesslandia. Luis Ruiz Avila, Editorial EUNSA, 2020.
Web de Biocat (www.biocat.es)
Evaluation period
- E1 12/01/2026 A16 18:00h
- E2 16/06/2026 A16 16:00h