Last week, BioInnovation Institute (BII) and CBS Executive welcomed 35 participants from across the globe to the BII Summer School to get a taste of life science entrepreneurship. The participants received an overview of critical aspects of taking research from lab to market within health tech, therapeutics and bioindustrials.

The students were taken through the commercialization process, from what drives innovation to understanding the importance of intellectual property rights, developing the critical components of a business plan, and turning it into a great investor pitch.

For two of the students, it was a great educational activity and a personal experience as they traveled around 7500 kilometers from Nigeria’s capital Lagos to BII’s premises in Copenhagen to participate in the summer school.

“The entire week in Denmark and at BII has been an incredible experience. The program was very insightful and gave us a better understanding of how research can be translated to bring products to market. Especially the work on preparing cases was enjoyable as we learned how to structure a pitch to investors and conduct a solid business plan. Furthermore, it also provided us with the opportunity not only to think about ourselves as academicians but also as entrepreneurs, says Dr. Mutiat Ibrahim and Dr. Margaret Ilomuanya, who both work as Postdocs in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Lagos.

While many of the other participants did not travel nearly as far as the two Nigerian women, Mahsa Babaei, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, still felt that she got acquainted with a completely different world during the week’s summer school at BII.

“It was a fantastic experience to just get out of the lab and get a completely different perspective and be inspired by some of the speakers with a more commercial mindset but still a passion for science. I have learned that great science is just one of many factors that must be considered if you dream about commercializing your research. You also need to consider the market size, the business model, and the competitor landscape. I’m really happy that I got to be a part of the summer school, says she.

The BII Summer School was hosted at BII’s facilities in central Copenhagen and throughout the week the participants met BII start-ups, industry representatives, venture capitalists and experts in business development and intellectual property rights.