Jumpstart your Business Career in Life Sciences
Many life scientists will make a switch to industry at some point in their career. Knowledge of business aspects such as product development, IPR, finance and business models are essential to succeed, but in the academic arena in which scientists learn their scientific skills these subjects aren’t often elaborated upon. BioBusiness Summer School teaches you the basic knowledge of main business topics, such as product development, intellectual property rights, business models and finance. You will also gain insight in the world of Life Sciences companies, hear from leading business people and exchange with like-minded international participants.
This will be of use in both scientic and business orientated functions. For example you are researching a novel product and your company enters in a collaboration with an external partner. How do you make sure that you don’t divulge your intellectual property? Or you are working for a small company and you need extra investments to take your research to the next level. What are the options to obtain funding? Or perhaps you are involved in developing a new product. Which steps are there in product development and to which regulatory standards must your product comply?
The BioBusiness Summer School was set up in 2008 as an initiative of the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam. It was set up in close collaboration with several Life Sciences research institutes and companies in The Netherlands. Since 2011 BioBusiness Summer School has been organised by Hyphen Projects.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Have a clear overview of the opportunities and challenges within the life sciences industry;
- Be able to describe the process of product development and the challenges that might be faced;
- Have gained insight into the purpose, use, legal and regulatory aspects of intellectual property rights and how to obtain them;
- Be able to discuss various types of business models in life sciences industry and link organisations to these business models;
- Have gained insight into the concept of financial statements, costs and revenue allocations, budgeting and forecasting;
- Have expanded their business network in life sciences;
- Have gained insight into what career opportunities there are in industry.
Participant profile
The participant statistics below are based on attendees of the BioBusiness Summer School which has been running since 2008 and will give you an understanding of the profile of past participants:
- PhD candidates (65%)
- Postdoctoral fellows (18%)
- Scientists interested in BioBusiness and/or starting their own company (10%)
- Scientists in their first industry jobs (5%)
- Masters' students (2%)
The programme focuses on medical biotechnology, but is also suitable for other life sciences fields such as plant biotechnology, food technology and industrial biotechnology. Considering the level of the course we recommend a minimum education level of BSc
Course Fee
The tuition fee for BioBusiness Summer School 2026 is:
- First Comer (valid until 1 December 2025): € 1,260
- Early-bird (valid between 1 December 2025 and 1 April 2026): €1,360
- Regular fee (between 1 April 2026 and 15 June 2026): €1,560
The tuition fee gives you access to all lectures, workshops and case studies during the summer school. It also includes the costs for the social programme and catering during the summer school:
- Coffee, tea and during the breaks
- Lunch
- Welcome drinks
- Group dinner
- Closing drinks
Quotes from previous attendees:
Grateful for the chance to learn directly from industry leaders, connect with like-minded peers, and reflect on how my skills can be transfered to exciting new arenas beyond academia.
- Attendee 2025
Although I am still figuring my next career move, this summer school gave me a ton of useful information and fresh insights to help with my decision. I can recommend it to anyone.
- Attendee 2025