The University launches a new diploma to promote the planning and financing of Pharma-Biotech start-ups.

The School of Pharmacy and Nutrition of the University of Navarra has launched the Diploma Expert in Planning and Financing of Pharma-Biotech Start-Ups, a pioneering program designed specifically to respond to the needs of the sector. The course director, Esperanza Regueras, stresses that this initiative was created inresponse to the unique challenges faced by start-ups in the Pharma-Biotech field, where it is estimated that up to 90% of them fail.

"The high failure rates in Pharma-Biotech start-ups are due, in part, to the inherent difficulties in the process of research and development, such as negative results in programs of study clinical efficacy and safety tests. However, shortcomings in the business management , such as an inadequate business model , an unclear market strategy or an erroneous definition of the product's value proposal , also have a significant influence," explains Regueras. In this sense, a poor definition of the proposal of value can lead the start-up approach its research and development efforts in the wrong direction. Even if the results of the clinical programs of study are positive, the product may fail in the market if there is no solid commercialization strategy.

To address these needs, the University of Navarra has launched the Start-Pharm program, an expertdiploma designed as a "concentrated MBA" and focused exclusively on startups in the Pharma-Biotech sector. "Our goal is to provide participants with the 'Business' tools they need to avoid critical mistakes in areas such as business model , financing, operations and communication."

Aimed at managers and startups in phases of development. core topic

The program is especially aimed at managers (CEO, CFO, COO...) of Pharma-Biotech start-ups that already have an established business and an elaborated business plan. According to Regueras, "it is not essential for the business plan to be perfect, since our goal is to improve it, but there must be a starting point for the work course to be effective".

The diploma is mainly focused on start-ups that are looking for funding in seed or series A rounds, a critical phase for their continuity. "Getting this funding will depend largely on the managers being able to present a solid Business Case to investors, and that is precisely the goal of the program," he says.

Methodology internship and competencies core topic

The program's methodology combines full-time face-to-face classes taught by experts, the case method and an eminently practical approach . Participants will work in parallel on their own start-up, applying what they have learned in the classroom with the continuous support of the academic staff.

At the end of the course, participants will have designed a solid business case, with an optimized business model and a clear value proposal , a robust financial plan and a strategy for seeking financing. In addition, the program will help them to define messages core topic to "sell" the project to investors and they will be able to present their project to a panel of experts and test their results in a forum of investors in the Pharma-Biotech sector.

"The assessment will be demanding, since only projects that obtain the approval of the court will be able to present themselves to investors. The goal is that the participants leave the program with a case ready to compete in the market," the director emphasizes.

A unique program in the market

The Diploma Expert in Planning and Financing of Pharma-Biotech Start-Ups differs from other similar courses in two ways core topic. In the words of Regueras, "it is exclusively focused on the Pharma-Biotech sector, which presents very different challenges to those of other sectors, such as the long lead times and high costs of development, the difficulty to 'pivot' and the great scientific weight of the projects, which often leaves the 'Business' capabilities of the management teams in the background".

It also highlights its unique methodology :

- Full-time face-to-face classes with expert professors who apply MBA methodologies.
- work direct practical experience on each participant's own start-up, with the support of the teachers.
- A rigorous assessment by a panel of experts before accessing the investor forum.
- The opportunity to present the results at an investors' forum, where they will be able to test their proposal and obtain funding.

"We can say that this is the only expert program with MBA methodology designed specifically for start-ups in the Pharma-Biotech sector. It is focused on optimizing the Business Case and facilitating the obtaining of financing, working hand in hand with each company," concludes Regueras.