The Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise in Science (BI3515) course at the University of Aberdeen introduces undergraduate biology students to the entrepreneurial side of the life sciences sector. Open to Level 3 and Level 4 students, the course engages up to 200 learners through workshops, site visits and competitions designed to help them explore how scientific knowledge can translate into real-world innovation and enterprise.
Context and Rationale
Bioscience graduates often enter sectors where scientific expertise intersects with business, innovation and commercialisation. However, traditional biology programmes rarely provide opportunities to explore how enterprise operates within the life sciences industry.
This course was developed to address that gap. Through exposure to entrepreneurs, industry settings and real-world examples of bioscience ventures, students gain insight into how scientific ideas can become viable products, services or businesses. The initiative aims not only to broaden students’ understanding of career pathways but also to enhance their employability by developing business awareness and entrepreneurial thinking.
The Learning Activity
The course runs as an optional module scheduled to avoid clashes with core biology courses. It is structured around a series of workshops, competitions and off-campus visits that expose students to enterprise within the bioscience sector.
Students develop ideas for potential products or services and explore how these could form the basis of a viable business. Using tools such as the business model canvas, learners consider value propositions, customer needs and operational challenges. A reflective journal captures their learning throughout the process.
Learning activities focus on creativity, ideation and practical entrepreneurial thinking. Workshops encourage students to experiment with structured creativity methods, such as the Disney method, while also introducing pragmatic considerations involved in starting and running a business. Students regularly pitch ideas to peers and staff, receiving feedback that helps them refine their concepts.
External partners play an important role in the course design. Site visits to organisations such as distilleries, biotechnology companies and tree production facilities allow students to meet entrepreneurs and business leaders in their workplaces. These encounters provide insight into how enterprise operates in real scientific contexts and often serve as inspiration for students’ own ideas.
Skills and Capabilities Developed
The course is designed to develop a range of entrepreneurial capabilities relevant to science graduates.
Students build opportunity recognition and problem-solving skills through creativity sessions and practical exercises such as designing a business concept. Creativity and ideation are supported through structured methods that help students generate and refine ideas.
Through site visits and interactions with entrepreneurs, learners develop customer insight and commercial awareness, gaining a clearer understanding of how scientific innovation translates into value. Regular pitching activities strengthen communication skills, while collaborative idea development encourages teamwork.
Presenting ideas and responding to feedback also builds confidence, resilience and adaptability, as students learn to refine or pivot their concepts in response to critique and new information.
Impact and Outcomes
Although the current iteration of the course is relatively new, earlier versions have already demonstrated tangible impact. One former student venture, Two Raccoons, emerged from the programme and went on to become an award-winning business.
Student feedback highlights the value of exposure to entrepreneurial thinking and industry perspectives. In particular, participants report that brainstorming techniques introduced during the course continue to influence their approach to problem-solving beyond the classroom.
By combining scientific knowledge with entrepreneurial awareness, the course helps students broaden their understanding of potential career paths and the role of enterprise within the life sciences sector.
“This trip was insightful and inspiring. I understood things from an employer’s perspective, and meeting Grant Walker added depth and clarity to my visit.”
Further Information
University of Aberdeen news: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/24677/