"Companies are looking for talent with specialized skills and a solid academic training in areas relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, so we consider it essential that all our students at Master's Degree have the opportunity for professional experience while pursuing any of our programs," explains Sonia Zapata, coordinator of the Master's Degree programs at School Pharmacy and Nutrition.

With this purpose, the School maintains a close contact with companies in the pharmaceutical sector in which students can carry out paid internships or carry out their work Fin de Master's Degree (TFM) in a professional environment. Specifically, during the 2022/2023 academic year, the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition has managed 224 internship offers in various areas of the pharmaceutical industry so that the students themselves can choose the options that best suit their interests.

In the case of the Master's Degree in design Galenic and Manufacturing in the Pharmaceutical Industry (MDGFI) they carry out twelve months of paid internships in Departments of quality control, quality assurance, development galenic or manufacturing. To this end, 22 internship offers have been received for 9 students in recognized companies such as GSK, Rovi, Lilly, Baxter, Cinfa, 3P Biopharmaceuticals, Ardena, Casen, Cantabria Labs, Cyndea Pharma, Vivebiotech, Liof Pharma, among others. "These companies offer an excellent opportunity for students to gain experience internship and learn firsthand how processes are carried out in the pharmaceutical industry," he stresses.

For their part, the students of the Master's Degree in research, development and Drug Innovation (MIDI) carry out their TFM between March and September, a project of research or management of the real research that they will carry out in areas of research and development, clinical trials, pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, quality in the research and development or management of the research, "which allows students to apply the knowledge acquired in the degree program and to have an experience internship in a professional environment". This year, 52 TFM options have been offered to the 25 students at 3P Biopharmaceuticals, the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products, Biobide, Bioinnova Consulting, Cantabria Labs, Clínica Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Geiserpharma, Ojer Pharma, Lainomedical, Mikrobiomik, ViveBiotech, Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, USA) and the University Hospital of Zurich (Switzerland). "In addition, immersion in companies such as these sometimes favors students receiving offers from work before they even finish their training".

"Something similar happens in the Master's Degree in management of Pharma-Biotech Companies (MUGEPB), which is being studied at Campus of the University of Navarra in Madrid," explains Sonia Zapata. "Students carry out a minimum of nine months of professional internships in areas of management of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and health technology industry and, in some cases, are hired by the same companies, which value the training received and their potential." For the 2022/2023 academic year, School has managed more than 150 internship offers in various areas of the pharmaceutical industry in companies such as AbbVie, Boston Scientific, Gilead, Janssen, GSK, Medtronic or Ascendo Consulting, among others. Positions offered include opportunities in marketing, market access, development business and consultancy service.