Unit ECONOMICS OF BIOTECHOLOGY

Course
Agricultural and environmental biotechnology
Study-unit Code
A002309
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Biancamaria Torquati
Teachers
  • Biancamaria Torquati
Hours
  • 54 ore - Biancamaria Torquati
CFU
6
Course Regulation
Coorte 2021
Offered
2022/23
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Discipline gestionali ed etiche
Academic discipline
AGR/01
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
English
Contents
The course helps students to understand:
A. The connection between bioeconomy and biotechnology
B. How an enterprise works, who are, and what the companies working in the biotechnology sector (learning entrepreneurial skills to transform the world by solving problems and developing leadership skills to communicate and manage change).

C. How to make a product or process innovation accessible to society and marketable (gaining the intellectual property (IP), and commercialization skills to develop your own business ventures based on ideas created at the laboratory bench).

D. How to write and present a European Research Project (integrating business components to translate scientific research breakthroughs into enterprise ventures with commercial application).
Reference texts
Lewandowski, I. (2018). Bioeconomy: Shaping the transition to a sustainable, biobased economy (p. 356). Springer nature.
Educational objectives
This course aims to familiarize students with different aspects of the bioeconomy: the European model of agriculture, European Union Policy Agenda for the Sustainability, European Union policy agenda for the bioeconomy, economic and technological concepts of bioeconomy, biobased resources and value chains, markets of biobased resources and products, the growth of bio-business and the contribution of intellectual property, innovation analysis on country and regions. The course will also address the general framework of international cooperation projects and learn a common base for EU Programs.
Prerequisites
no one
Teaching methods
Self-directed learning (this method aims to stimulate intrinsically motivated learning).
Collaborative learning (this method requests participation and empathy).
Problem-oriented learning considers real-world problems (in collaboration with external stakeholders during the educational visit and seminars).
Other information
No one
Learning verification modality
For Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3: 3 open questions + 10 multi-choice questions.
For Unit 4: project work
Extended program
The course is organized into four units: Unit 1- Introduction to bioeconomy; Unit 2 – Market, management and entrepreneurship; Unit 3- Introduction to Intellectual property; Unit 4- introduction to project management.
Unit 1 – Introduction to bioeconomy (12 hours). This Unit stars with the presentation of the European model of agriculture, and the European Union Policy Agenda for the Sustainability, arguments preparatory to the bioeconomy (Pre-Unit1).
This Unit continued with a systematic overview of the bioeconomy and the role of biotechnology in the modern bioeconomy. Three main topics in current debates around bioeconomy are highlighted: (i) bio-based resources and value chain; (ii) inter and intradisciplinary in bioeconomy; (iii) governance of bioeconomy.
Unit 2 – Market, management, and entrepreneurship (12 hours). This unit aims at providing an introduction to the global market for biobased products and resources and their interaction with agricultural and food markets. The entrepreneurial opportunity generated by the bioeconomy is discussed.
Two main topics are highlighted: (i) developments on the markets for biobased products; ii) entrepreneurial opportunities and the bioeconomy.
Unit 3 – Introduction to Intellectual property (12 hours). This unit aims at providing a systematic overview of the intellectual property of inventions, and its role in the modern bioeconomy. First, a series of concepts and approaches on technological innovation are summarized and discussed. Second, three main topics in current debates around bioeconomy innovation systems are highlighted: (i) intellectual property and patents; (ii) the Legal and Regulatory Framework for Intellectual Property Rights in the EU; (iii) the use of patent data as indicators of innovation.
Unit 4 - 'Management’ (18 hours). This unit introduces the principles and methods of EU project management and access to European funds with a special focus on the biotechnology issue. The module will also address a general framework of international cooperation projects and learn a common base for all EU Programs. It will focus on the four common stages of EU project management: (i) definition of the Goal and Scope; (ii) manage contractual procedures with the European Commission; (iii) organize and plan the project work and manage the project partnership; (iv) monitor the project development on a technical and financial point of view and evaluate its outcomes.
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