Target audience

• Life sciences industry professionals from early stage to large companies (pharma, medtech, biotech, diagnostics, nutrition, cosmetics and digital health)
• PhDs & Postdocs intending to enter the life sciences industry (2-3 years professional experience in life sciences is recommended)
• Scientists in research centers from public or private sectors planning to build a business
• Healthcare professionals: physicians, pharmacists, etc.
• Professionals in healthcare NGOs

Introduction

Local life sciences firms are extremely accurate in collecting reliable data in the lab and producing highly innovative products. However, developing a new product and launching that product are two different undertakings.

Marketing and sales skills, often neglected and unknown by scientists, researchers, or clinicians are essential to face and succeed the challenges associated with the translation of research achievements into business.

Spreading the knowledge of marketing will reduce the distance between the world of science and business and bring successfully life sciences products (namely: pharma, medtech, biotech, diagnostics, nutrition, cosmetics and digital health products) to market.

Objectives

• Master the marketing and sales processes of a product launch in life sciences, from pre-launch to business development
• Master the basics of strategic thinking in life sciences marketing and planning
• Understand the specificities of life sciences marketing
• Become familiar with the most common marketing and sales tactics and tools applicable to the life sciences industry
• Be able to adapt communication style and tools to efficiently engage various types of stakeholders (key opinion leaders, healthcare professionals, patients, etc.)
• Understand the specificities of sales strategies in the life sciences sector
• Network with professionals in the field
• Interact with life sciences experts

Cursus & Certification

Cursus

The Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Life Sciences Product Management is a 323-hour course, split into:

• 3 modules combining instructor-led training (36 hours/module), e-learning (12 hours/module) and personal work (approx. 48 hours/module)
• a personal project (business case format) representing approx. 35 hours of personal work

Title

• A Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Life Sciences Product Management will be granted jointly by HEC Lausanne and the Faculty of Biology and Medicine from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) upon completion of the entire program.
  12 ECTS credits are awarded.
• A certificate of attendance will be delivered to participants completing modules on an individual basis.
  To apply to the individual modules, please contact thierry.weber@unil.ch

Consult the Academic Regulations.

Program

The program will be held form February to July 2020. Face-to-face training will take place on Thursday afternoons and Fridays.

MODULE 1 – PRE-LAUNCH: LIFE SCIENCES MARKETING STRATEGY AND PLANNING
DURATION: 6 days of which 1.5 day in e-learning

• Market analysis, business intelligence
  Thursday February 6 (afternoon) to Friday February 7 (all day), 2020
  Objective: understand your market and your target(s); define how to reach out to them
  • Market analysis techniques: review of the marketing analysis techniques in the life sciences sector
  • Customer identification and profiling: review all potential customers, influencers and deciders in the healthcare sector
  • Life sciences business intelligence

• Marketing strategy & branding
  Thursday February 27 (afternoon) to Friday February 28 (all day), 2020
  Objective: define your marketing campaign and brand
  
  • Introduction to general marketing; specificities of life sciences marketing
  • Product cycle management: marketing strategy & planning; branding basics; marketing follow-up and adjustments; marketing tactics & channels; eMarketing
  • Good marketing practices

• P&L, Business model structure, pricing strategy
  Thursday March 12 (afternoon) to Friday March 13 (all day), 2020
  Objective: P&L understanding, define a pricing strategy for your product
  
  • Gathering relevant data for pricing strategy; payer market research
  • P&L, Business model structuring
  • Defining a pricing strategy, contacts with regulatory bodies, reimbursement strategy, main European markets… Contracts and business models based on defined pricing

Overall objective of module 1: get your marketing strategy right and prepare your market
Speakers from: industry, specialized consulting, academics

MODULE 2 – PRODUCT LAUNCH
DURATION: 6 days of which 1.5 day in e-learning

• Promoting your idea for funding
  Thursday March 26 (afternoon) to Friday March 27 (all day), 2020⚠️This session will not take place face to face but online: registered participants will receive more information by e-mail.
  Objective: understand funding strategies and methodologies
  • Funding strategy (including negotiation skills)
  • Communicating with business angels, venture capitalists and corporate VCs
  • Grants and other types of funding

• Promoting your product to Key Opinion Leaders and prescribers
  Thursday April 2 (afternoon) to Friday April 3 (morning), 2020 ⚠️This session will not take place face to face but online: registered participants will receive more information by e-mail.
  Objective: manage your product launch
  • Dialoguing with Key Opinion Leaders
  • Product awareness for prescribers

• Communicating with patients
  Friday April 3 (afternoon), 2020 ⚠️This session will not take place face to face but online: registered participants will receive more information by e-mail.
  • Communicating with the patient: ethical communication (DTP)

• Trade and distribution
  Thursday April 30 (afternoon) to Friday May 1 (all day), 2020 ⚠️This session will not take place face to face but online: registered participants will receive more information by e-mail.
  Objective: define realistic trade and distribution strategy
  • Distribution strategy and planning
  • Setting up third party logistics, licensure filings, trade & distribution agreements
  • Launch plans

Overall objective of module 2: launch your life sciences product successfully
Speakers from: industry, specialized consulting, academics

MODULE 3 – LIFE SCIENCES BUSINESS GROWTH (POST-LAUNCH PHASE)
DURATION: 6 days of which 1.5 day in e-learning

• Sales strategy
  Thursday May 14 (afternoon) to Friday May 15 (all day), 2020
  Objective: master the specificities of sales strategy
  • Sales strategy
  • Sales objective definition
  • Key account management (strategy)

• Business development
  Thursday May 28 (afternoon) to Friday May 29 (all day), 2020
  Objective: make your business grow
  • Securing your market
  • Growth strategy: marketing channels, post marketing studies…
  • Key account management (operations), KPI, CRM…

• Investment strategy
  Thursday June 18 (afternoon) to Friday June 19 (all day), 2020
  Objective: master investments strategies
  • Investment strategy, existing investors’ relations; negotiating with existing investors
  • Strategic alliances and partnerships
  • Exit strategy, M&A

Overall objective of module 3: grow your business & generate strategic alliances
Speakers from: industry, specialized consulting, academics

E-learning – serious game

Working in groups, participants will use an interactive e-learning program – serious “war game” – which addresses strategic marketing concepts from portfolio analysis to pricing, including strategic negotiation and brand lifecycle management. Through this ”learning by doing” exercise, participants will find out the costs and rewards of different strategies and their impacts on their competitor’s one as in real life. This serious game is produced by Actando SA of Geneva and moderated by a team of experts.

Educational experience

The educational experience will be highly interactive and maximise long-term impact. There will be a balanced mix between e-learning and face-to-face courses. We will promote self-reflexivity to ensure that participants engage fully in the learning experience and there will be plenty of networking opportunities.

Organisation

Organising Entities

• Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne), University of Lausanne
• Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne

In collaboration with:

• Biopôle SA

Directors’ Committee

• Prof. Jeffrey Petty
  Professor of Entrepreneurship at HEC Lausanne, University of Lausanne, and academic director of the EMBA program
• Prof. Patrick Schoettker, MD
  Professor of Anaesthesiology, CHUV Lausanne and Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne & life sciences entrepreneur
• Thierry Weber, MD
  CEO Vivactis, life sciences business consultant, and lecturer in charge of Healthcare Strategy and Marketing module, EMBA program & life sciences entrepreneur
• Nasri Nahas
  CEO Biopôle, 20 years of experience in the life sciences sector through roles in applied research, business development and general management

Practical information

Course venue

Biopôle, Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland

Registration

The following information will need to be included with the online registration form:

• a motivation letter
• a Curriculum Vitae
• a copy of your diplomas

Course fee *

• CAS (3 modules): CHF 9’500.-**
• Individual modules (depending on available places): CHF 3’500.-/module

* based on the price of the last edition

** 10% special discount for contributing members of EPFL Alumni, for contributing members of HEC Alumni and for graduates from FBM-UNIL

Registration deadline

Registrations are closed

Number of participants limited to 20.

Contact for academic & administrative questions

• Mr Thierry Weber: thierry.weber@unil.ch

Useful documents and links

Un cours pour apprendre à vendre la science, article published in the newspaper “24 heures” on November 8, 2019.