Joy Zhang

In early September, I spent a week in Durham to observe the Bioprocess Entrepreneurial Skill Training (BEST) Programme jointly organised by BioProNET2 and E3B Metals in Biology. 18 young scientists with entrepreneurial aspirations were selected for this week long training, which incorporates masterclasses, site visits and a mock start-up pitch at the end.

I was the only social scientist there and it was really fantastic to get to know these early career researchers. I also learnt quite a bit from all the biotech companies we visited.

I delivered a masterclass titled ‘Think Sociologically: How It Transformed Science and Entrepreneurship.’ The lecture invites participants to critically rethink the social contexts behind three pieces of conventional wisdom: 1) there will inevitably be a ‘slippery slope’ in the ethical governance of biotechnology, 2) financial considerations, including funding and cost reduction, are the key drivers of success in bioinnovation, and 3) being ‘the first’ is always crucial.

On the last day of the training, I also served as one of the six judges for the start-up pitch competition. I enjoyed posing questions as a journalist, a clinician, and a patient activist. More importantly, I was delighted to hear that the teams’ answers had incorporated themes we discussed in the lecture a couple of days earlier!

Many participants told me that the BEST training was the best they had ever attended. I can’t wait to see how these young scientists will make real-world impacts in the years to come.