Maturation of the biotechnology industry changes job opportunities for scientists

1969 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Liu ◽  
Molly B Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Functional Composition ◽  
Functional Categories ◽  
Business Skills ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Strong Focus ◽  
Job Openings ◽  
Biotechnology Companies ◽  
Workforce Needs ◽  
Open Position

The biotechnology industry has historically had a strong focus on innovation and research. As the industry has matured, companies have become intensely focused on commercialising their products. This study assesses the current functional composition of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology workforce, and compares differences in workforce needs among companies of different sizes, ages and product commercialisation maturities. Sample sets of the largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies were selected, as were a set of smaller and younger companies. Job openings posted on the websites of these companies were categorised. Five functional categories of job openings were created – Laboratory, Manufacturing, General & Administrative, Regulatory/Clinical Affairs and Sales/Marketing – and each open position was placed into one of these five categories. Companies with products on the market had an average of 17 per cent of job openings in the laboratory category, and 83 per cent of openings in the remaining non-laboratory categories. Smaller companies without products on the market had a higher percentage of jobs categorised as laboratory. This study identifies the need for individuals with a blend of science and business skills, and makes clear the importance of educating scientifically trained individuals for scientifically oriented, but non-laboratory positions.

scholarly journals Time for a new business model?

1969 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yali Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Hybrid Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
New Firms ◽  
Technology Platform ◽  
Economic Climate ◽  
New Business ◽  
Biotechnology Companies

In the relatively short history of the biotechnology industry, new business models have emerged every few years. Some have been little more than short-lived marketing or investment-attraction devices, whereas others have had endured as viable options. Given the dramatic changes in the economic climate and potentially the regulations affecting biotechnology, is it time for a new business model?A SHORT HISTORYFirst there was the FILCO, or fully integrated life science company, business model. This model, employed by some of the first biotechnology companies, positioned firms to capture the revolutionary advances of biotechnology and to build large vertically-integrated companies. Companies like Amgen and Genentech were able to fulfill this endpoint, but many other companies were not so fortunate. Another early model was to improve existing products, rather than to build an entire franchise around discovering and commercializing new ones. This model is exemplified by Alza, which was founded to improve medical treatment through controlled drug delivery and focused on improving existing drugs rather than developing new ones. This same model is still employed today, and shares some similarity with the technology platform business model, where companies focus on developing technologies that can be sold to other R&D firms, rather than independently developing consumer applications.Newer business models did not replace the older ones, but rather enabled new firms to focus on the unique environment in which they were founded. Examples include the hybrid model that combined product development with a technology platform, which could be sold or licensed to others, and the no research, development-only model that as a derivative of the specialty pharmaceutical model, saw newly founded companies buying drug leads off of other companies to complete late-stage clinical trials. These models enabled new firms to meet the respective needs of risk-averse and cash-rich investors.WHERE ARE WE NOW?I've previously written that the global economic crisis has been (and still is) transformative for the biotechnology industry. The aforementioned biotechnology business models rose to prominence in conditions that favored them. For example, the hybrid model emerged in a funding drought and was favored as it enabled companies to build internal revenue streams while still maintaining the possibility to realize the upside of product sales.What are the factors influencing biotechnology companies today? In the United States, beyond the general economic climate there are still unresolved questions about the availability of early stage financing, the ability to recruit foreign workers, and – post-commercialization – data exclusivity, generic biologics and the potential for price controls. Internationally, some nations are still undergoing dramatic economic reorganizations, while others are making significant investments in building biotechnology R&D capacity.So, the question remains: Is the biotechnology industry ready for a new business model, and is there a business model that can accommodate the myriad domestic challenges faced by many countries while addressing the increasing globalization of activities?

Reputation management in the biotechnology industry

10.5912/jcb3 ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W Grupp ◽  
Leslie Gaines-Ross
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Corporate Reputation ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Reputation Management ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Corporate Communications ◽  
Industry Value Chain ◽  
Biotechnology Companies ◽  
Development Orientation

As biotechnology companies mature, the focus of their activities shifts from a research-and-development orientation to a business model based on marketed products that deliver revenue and earnings. Companies are thus striving to occupy key positions at every stage of the industry's evolving value chain, covering each step from gene identification to patient care. The management of corporate reputation must therefore be based on the new biotechnology business model, which takes into account the shifting industry value chain. The authors discuss how the function of corporate communications in biotechnology is changing along with the industry itself, as well as the key components of a biotechnology company's reputation in the current environment. Additionally, a case study of Cephalon, Inc., is presented to illustrate how positive and negative events can affect corporate reputation in the biotechnology industry. The authors conclude with some observations on tactical solutions for building and managing corporate reputation in today's biotechnology industry.

BIOPHARMACEUTICAL ALLIANCES AND COMPETITION: A REAL OPTIONS GAMES APPROACH

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (06) ◽  
pp. 1340023 ◽  
Author(s):  
GIOVANNA LO NIGRO ◽  
AZZURRA MORREALE ◽  
SERENA ROBBA ◽  
PAOLO ROMA
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Real Options ◽  
Pharmaceutical Company ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Optimal Timing ◽  
Biotechnology Companies ◽  
Timing Decisions ◽  
First Mover

The competitive landscape where pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies operate has changed radically due to a scientific/technological progress that has revolutionised the process by which drugs are developed. In fact, pharmaceutical industry more and more relies on advances in biochemistry and molecular biology. As a consequence, the number of partnerships between pharmaceutical and biotech firms has grown significantly. Research contributions addressing the biopharmaceutical alliances design have also focused on the optimal timing to sign a partnership. In this paper, we introduce and analyse the effect of competition in biotechnology industry by modelling the decisions of whether and when ally with a pharmaceutical company through a real options game. We find that the timing decisions depend on the level of the competition, synergies obtained through the alliance and contract terms offered by the pharmaceutical company as well. Also, we show that the first mover might not always pre-empt the follower in partnering with the pharmaceutical company.

International mega-trends and growth prospects of the Finnish biotechnology industry: Recent economic research and policy implications

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raine Hermans ◽  
Martti Kulvik ◽  
Pekka Ylä-Anttila
Keyword(s):  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Biotechnology Companies ◽  
Growth Prospects ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Research And Policy

The aim of this paper is to describe recent economic growth forecasts of the Finnish biotechnology industry and provide analysis of the international and industry-specific factors behind these forecasts. The new economic geography of the European regions suggests that spatial agglomeration of economic activities will be strengthened internationally if European integration deepens. In addition to that, the Finnish pharmaceutical industry has enjoyed high regulatory protection and it has achieved similar price mark-ups during the 1970s–1990s to its counterpart in the USA. According to the analysis of small and medium-sized Finnish biotechnology companies, it seems that the most promising biotechnology companies have a well-balanced combination of intellectual capital. Despite expectations of rapid growth, it will take decades rather than years for the biotechnology industry to catch up with the three industrial pillars, the forestry, machinery and electronics industries. To fulfil the expectations, there is a need to build collaboration and financing networks between the biotechnology industry and traditional industries, such as forestry, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Most of the current Finnish biotechnology companies are related to healthcare activities. The Finnish biotechnology industry could offer solutions to the cost crisis in healthcare while at the same time spurring development of an internationally competitive industrial cluster.

A Biotechnology Dilemma: Patent Your Inventions (if you can) or Keep Them Secret

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Robert Smith
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Patent Protection ◽  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Secret Keeping ◽  
Biotechnology Companies ◽  
Patentable Subject Matter ◽  
Made In

Biotechnology companies rely on patents to protect their most valuable inventions.  Patent protection helps support billions of dollars in research and development of life-saving drugs and treatments.  Protecting biotechnology inventions has become more difficult in the last few years, however, because legal trends have created uncertainty regarding what subject matter is eligible for patent protection.  Specifically, courts have narrowed the scope of what is patentable and have increasingly invalidated patents because they claim abstract ideas or laws of nature.  As biotechnology companies wait for more clarity on the scope of patentable subject matter, they face a dilemma of whether to patent their inventions or keep them secret.  Keeping inventions secret offers some benefits to companies, but may not be sufficient to protect the significant investment made in research and development.  The biotechnology industry will continue to grapple with this dilemma until the courts, the Patent Office or new legislation clarifies the boundaries of what subject matter is patentable.

Commercial biotechnology in Germany: An overview

10.5912/jcb50 ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siegfried Bialojan ◽  
Julia Schüler
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Maturation Process ◽  
Current Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
Biotechnology Companies

The title of Ernst & Young's 2003 Biotechnology Report, 'At the Crossroad', describes the present situation of the German biotechnology industry. This paper discusses and analyses the major findings of the Report. Major drivers in the current development include external factors such as the general economic downturn, the closed capital markets and the resulting consequences with respect to the financing situation. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry – the major client for the emerging biotechnology companies – erects higher hurdles by refocusing on later stage products with blockbuster potential. These factors are mostly identical in all regions of the globe. However, they hit the biotechnology industry in Germany relatively harder as it is still relatively young and therefore more vulnerable.In fact, the maturation process of the German biotechnology industry has been abruptly stopped. Unfortunately, this takes place at a time when the dynamic development during the past five years has not yet created a substantial number of stable and mature companies. Critical mass has become a major issue.

An identification of Internet Job Board attributes

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-135
Author(s):  
Kai S. Koong ◽  
Lai C. Liu ◽  
De Lease Williams
Keyword(s):  
Online Research ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Advancement Opportunities ◽  
Faculty Advisors ◽  
New Graduates ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Job Openings ◽  
Software Engineers

An increasing number of job seekers and corporate recruiters are using Internet Job Boards to look for job opportunities or to communicate job openings to prospective candidates around the globe. However, there are hundreds of Internet Job Boards in the e-recruiting sector. Each Internet Job Board provider has common as well as unique resources and attributes. This research examines the resources or attributes that are provided to job seekers and corporate recruiters by Internet Job Boards. Specifically, the objective of this study is to identify and classify the resources or attributes contained in the top five revenue generating Internet Job Boards in the world. New graduates looking for jobs, persons interested in advancement opportunities, faculty advisors, and career counselors will find this study useful. Human resource managers, corporate recruiters, software engineers, systems designers, scholars interested in online research, and Job Board Providers will find the reported outcomes interesting.

scholarly journals How an Antiscience President and the COVID-19 Pandemic Altered the Career Trajectories of STEM PhD Students of Color

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110392
Author(s):  
Ebony McGee ◽  
Yuan Fang ◽  
Yibin (Amanda) Ni ◽  
Thema Monroe-White
Keyword(s):  
Students Of Color ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Career Plans ◽  
Career Trajectories ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Job Openings ◽  
And Mathematics

In this mixed-methods study, we performed content analysis on openended survey items to reveal primary themes related to how PhD students are responding to the Trump policies and the COVID-19 pandemic. In our data set, 40.7% of the respondents reported that their career plans have been affected by Trump’s antiscience policies, 54.5% by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study revealed three themes, which were (1) awareness of the reduced funding for STEM (science, engineering, technology, and mathematics) and higher education, (2) heightened awareness of and commitment to the pursuit of social and racial justice, (3) interest in seeking job opportunities abroad. The top three themes for the COVID-19 pandemic were (1) shifting graduation timelines and adjusting research to the virtual campus life; (2) losing jobs, concerning about hiring freezes and fewer job openings; and (3) reconsidering their place in a STEM field postpandemic, including a possible complete change in career plans; thoughts of leaving the country for international jobs.

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