The Bio Venture Academy East Programme is a consortium project funded by the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme-Life Science and Health Priority.  The project is organized by IESE: Universidad de Navarra, Europe Unlimited (Belgium) and VIP Park (Czech Republic).

IESE will help to develop and organize five Bio Venture Academies in five Eastern European countries. The programs focus on the training and coaching of local emerging biotech entrepreneurs and potential advisors in the field between November 2004 and January 2006.

The goals of the Bio Venture Academy are to:

• Strengthen the entrepreneurial management capacity of biotech entrepreneurs.
• Improve the ability of biotech executives to effectively negotiate with potential investors.
• Strengthen the capacity of the advisory resources available to local entrepreneurs.
• Facilitate increased contact and exchange between local and western European biotech players, leading to increased business.
• Facilitate increased transfer of biotech research and technology development into sustainable businesses which will create more value-added knowledge activities and new jobs in Eastern Europe.

The Venture Academies will specifically help innovative bio-entrepreneurs to:

• Receive direct feedback on strategic strengths, weaknesses and objectives.
• Gain insight into how venture capitalists and other investors perceive their business.
• Facilitate relationship building with other top entrepreneurs, project leaders and advisors.
• Sharpen the basic company presentation for potential investors and partners.
• Practice presentation skills and methods.

The IESE Team will be responsible for:

• Developing the format of the training program.
• Recruiting expert coaches and potential coaches among members of its own academic network in the countries involved.
• Coaching the participating bio-entrepreneurs and trainee coaches.
• Evaluating the impact of the project on a global scale.

Dates and locations for the five Bio Venture Academies are:

22 March 2005	Warsaw (Poland)
14 June 2005	Budapest (Hungary)
2 November 2005	Brno (Czech Republic)
17 February 2006	Sofia (Bulgaria)
5 April 2006	Zagreb (Croatia)

Professor Joan Roure is heading IESE’s participation, along with the collaboration of Rama Velamuri, Julia Prats, Luis Segurado, Dave Darsch and Anthony Salvia.

For further info, please contact Luis Segurado or visit the project website at: http://www.e-unlimited.com/bioventureacademy