Tabea Sturmheit, a master student from Germany
"I like Science, I like it a lot. But Science Based Business (SBB) allowed me to - for a change - step aside my usual way of thinking and perceive the Biomedical Sciences from a truly economic perspective."
“After having received my B.Sc. from the University of Lübeck in northern Germany, I was looking for a study program to combine further scientific research with some business education. On the Internet, it didn’t take long to come across Leiden University and I was soon convinced that a Master’s program in Biomedical Sciences with Management Profile would be the right thing for me to do. I never regretted my decision and soon emerged in international as well as Dutch student life with all its ups and downs.”
SBB allowed me to discover my true strengths and weaknesses
“The 3-month course on SBB Fundamentals nicely felt like being back in school. Subjects such as marketing, finance, project management and technology transfer were taught in a very interactive manner with reference to the case method of Harvard Business School.
Overall, teamwork was essential to the course and while I had always thought to be a good team player, SBB allowed me to discover my true strengths and weaknesses with respect to this essential soft skill. The single most important thing that I’ve learned during these three months would probably be how to function, mediate and work productively in inter-disciplinary and culturally diverse teams. I enjoyed it a lot.
Social drinks for SBB students and the opportunity to join in on the monthly Life Sciences Café of the Leiden Bio Science Park made a great platform for social bonding among the students and networking.
Soon I started to assist in financial management (by correcting case studies) and ultimately it felt just natural to enrol in the SBB module ‘Orientation on Technopreneurship’, consisting of Entrepreneurial Management and Business Planning. It wasn’t as much for the credits as it was for the fun and excitement to further get involved with entrepreneurship in high-tech, and particularly in biotech. In retrospect, I’d definitely list ‘Orientation on Technopreneurship’ among the courses that I enjoyed most during my entire study.
Classroom sessions on entrepreneurial management equipped me with diverse theoretical knowledge on for example entrepreneurial finance and team building and helped me to put together a decent business plan together with two friends. As a group, we received coaching from a well-known business executive from the Leiden Bio Science Park and demonstrated endurance and passion for the cause of finalizing our business plan just in time to enter a nation-wide Business Plan Competition. This project surely drew a lot of energy, but was also one of the most rewarding once I’ve ever gotten involved with.
In the final stage of my Master’s program I decided for an SBB internship at the Netherlands Office for Science & Technology, an agency that focuses on the identification of global trends in technical and scientific research with the goal to stimulate the international activities of Dutch businesses, public organisations and the government.
Over a period of 6 months I got the chance to interact with venture capitalists, policy makers, entrepreneurs and sector organisations in the Biomedical Sciences, which helped me to better define the career path that I will want to take.
At this point in time, I wish to pursue a PhD in immunology but on medium term I’d definitely consider to start a biomedical business or join a start-up company. Science Based Business made a valuable addition to my scientific study program and also opened the door to related initiatives, such as the Holland Program on Entrepreneurship (HOPE).”
By Tabea Sturmheit, 2009-2010 participant in the SBB master courses: SBB Fundamentals, Orientation on Technopreneurship (per September 2010 part of Research Based Business), SBB Internship, Entrepreneurial studytrip to Boston 2010.