NAT511: Science Innovation Project

The aim of the course is to enable the student to, in a group;  

• Identify an idea that can be commercialized
• Describe two alternative strategies for this commercialization
• Describe the choices of customers, technology, identity and competetition associated with each strategy and the complementarities between choices
• Base the above descriptions on realistic assumptions. 

This is important with regard to the student’s ability to identify opportunities for science-based and/or health-based entrepreneurship and innovation in her/his future studies and working life, and to proactively consider and choose between different action related toit. 

The course builds on the knowledge acquired in the courses earlier in the program as regards identifying opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship. This provides an academic basis for relating to the potential and strategies for commercializing ideas that will be encountered in subsequent courses, that are part of the degree.

In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:

• Give the competence to identify several possible strategies for commercialization of an idea
• Give skills to analyse commercialization strategies and their constituent elements, including complementarities between their parts
• Give knowledge and understanding of pre-conditions and typical barriers to successful commercialization of ideas

• Identify an idea that can be commercialized
• Describe two alternative strategies for this commercialization
• Describe
  the choices of customers, technology, identity and competetition
  associated with each strategy and the complementarities between choices
• Base the above descriptions on realistic assumptions

• Entrepreneurial strategy, including
• The role of choice in the entrepreneurial process
• Value creation and value capture
• Choice of customers (incl. diffusion)
• Choice of technology (incl. technology curves)
• Choice of identity
• Choice of competition
• Generic strategies (incl. intellectual property, disruption, value chain and architecture)

The course begins with four two-hour lectures, where students are introduced to key concepts in entrepreneurial strategy, focusing on the choices related to the early-stage definition of how an idea (potentially, but not necessarily, based on natural science research or health science research) can be commercialized.

A range of cases are presented to illustrate each element. Then, a two-hour lecture will feature presentations by science-based entrepreneurs (from professors through postdocs to students) of the ideas that their entrepreneurial ventures are based on and of the choices they made about commercialization. Then, two two-hour tutorials (with students divided into sub-groups of 40-50 students) follow. In the first of these, the students form groups and select and develop ideas to be worked on during the group work. In the second, the students will receive supervision in how their ideas can, in different ways, be commercialized.

In the study phase, each group writes a three-page assignment. This assignment is presented and defended at an oral group exam (duration: 15 minutes)

Activities during the studyphase: Group work focused on idea identification and analysis.