Module BIOL40915: Biotechnology and Industry

Department: Biosciences

BIOL40915: Biotechnology and Industry

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To provide students with a clear view of the biotechnology industrial sector.
• To create awareness of the benefits of biotechnology for our society.
• To provide students links with industries in the biotechnology sector.
• To provide students a framework for translating the theoretical knowledge to industrial applications.

Content

• Seminars, workshops and guided visits to generate a broad overview of the biotechnology industry sector.
• Group workshops to elaborate critical thinking and develop communication, data management and problem-solving skills.

Learning Outcomes

• Deep understanding of the biotechnology industry.
• Understanding of strategies for the translation of fundamental science into a commercial product.
• Understanding of the technical, legal and ethical limitations associated with the biotechnological industrial sector.

• Ability to think critically within the context of biotechnology.
• Ability to understand how Biotechnological enterprises work.
• To understand how to network within Biotechnology.
• Understand the challenges associated with the biotechnology sector.

• Critical thinking and understanding how to translate findings into innovations.
• Understanding of the goals of industry and understanding commercial problems.
• Work in Groups to make an hypothesis, dissect a chosen strategy used by industry for commercialisation and address questions rising from this.
• Have an ethical awareness of what the product means to society, nature etc.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching will consist of 2-hour lectures and 4-hour workshops distributed across the year, in preparation for fieldwork consisting of industrial visits. The lecture and workshop activities will provide the theoretical knowledge and specific topic discussions for the student’s industrial visit preparation. The industrial visits aim to provide a direct interaction with the industrial sector and will illustrate the strategies used for the translation of fundamental knowledge into biotechnological innovations.
• Assessed by a report.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative verbal feedback.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University