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spin-off companies are often filled by professors or doctoral nurture business talent in the biotech industry, tertiary institutions
researchers they supervise, who may not understand how from Hong Kong, the Mainland and abroad can offer professional
businesses work despite their advanced scientific knowledge. training programmes in the area, particularly courses catered to
Recognising market demand, many world-class universities are professionals from business or finance. This is not unlike the
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providing interdisciplinary degrees in biotech and business (see “integrated advanced training platform” that the two
Table 9), most of which work with the industry to offer classes governments have earlier agreed to establish at the Loop. By
taught by industry practitioners and provide internships. Notably, leveraging reasonable share allotment, biotech enterprises can
over 90% of tuition of MIT’s programme is borne by its industry further integrate the business acumen of professional managers
partners, including large pharmaceutical enterprises like Amgen, and the innovative prowess of researchers, with a view to foster
AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi, etc. transfer of research outcomes.
Despite having nurtured a great number of talent in the
respective fields of biotech and business, universities in Hong Table 9 Select universities that provide
Kong have not produced enough multi-skilled talent with interdisciplinary degrees in biotech and
interdisciplinary expertise. The only relevant programme is the business
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biotechnology and Business
established by HKUST in 2016. To the universities’ credit, University Degree
preparation is underway to launch HKU’s Master’s degree in Massachusetts Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) Dual
biotech investment, and students in CUHK’s BSc in Biomedical Institute of Degree Program in Biological Engineering and
Sciences may elect to concentrate on Strategic Management Technology Business
and Entrepreneurship. We propose that universities in Hong Harvard
Kong should, in response to market demand, establish more University MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences
relevant programmes to develop talent with backgrounds in
biotech and business or professional services. Cambridge MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise
University
Of course, talent with business acumen do not only come from University of
tertiary institutions; they can also switch from business or finance California, Robinson Life Sciences Business and
into the biotech industry and subsequently develop into Berkeley Entrepreneurship Program
managerial professionals with biotech knowledge. In order to
Sources: The universities’ websites

78 See the Memorandum of Understanding on Jointly Developing the Lok Ma Chau Loop by Hong Kong and Shenzhen that the Hong Kong and Shenzhen governments signed in 2017.
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