Executive MBA in Life Sciences

The BBI Business School has over 140 academics and industry experts, coming from more than 20 countries, who cover the key management topics in the Life Sciences industry: corporate finance; market access and healthcare economics, preclinical and clinical regulatory requirements, medical technologies, technology transfer and entrepreneurship, organisational behaviour and an understanding of the global strategy for new drug approvals.

The Biotechnology Business Institute (BBI) is an international business school focused on training a new generation of scientific managers and executives to prepare for their future careers. The BBI facilitates early-stage business development activities in partnership with the many stakeholders in the biotechnology sector and the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. A core focus is on new drug development to treat unmet medical need but also with broadening interests across the Life Sciences sector.

The Biotechnology Business Institute was founded to develop the next generation of talent in the international Life Sciences sector for scientists seeking to advance their careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. We are committed to becoming a leading international academic institution in the management of Life Sciences, through enabling the career development of a new wave of global business leaders driving disruptive change throughout the ecosystem.

Our complementary MBA programmes in Biotechnology and in Life Sciences enable scientists to enter this growing industrial sector each year. We help our students develop a clear vision of their career progression into future leadership roles. By using the new skills and practical experiences from our courses, our alumni go on to join the some of the most notable institutions, companies and national healthcare systems with international reputations.

With a presence in two of the main innovation centres in Europe, Barcelona, and Cambridge, and the second largest market in the pharmaceutical industry in Latin America our students can choose which campus will best meet their needs.

As the International BBI headquarters, the Barcelona Campus is focused on drug discovery, built on a track record since 2013 delivering management programmes for scientists wanting to develop their careers in the global pharma & biotechnology industry.

The European headquarters, our Cambridge Campus, has a broader remit across the entire Life Science sector. At Cambridge, UK, our students can realise their objective of establishing a global network of contacts in the broader spectrum of commercial opportunities in Life Sciences. 

BBI Mexico connects the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in Latin America with the major innovation hubs in Europe and the United States. It is the educational centre of reference in healthcare contributing to the development of national talent and the growth of national innovation promoting global transactions.

Know more about our campuses

BBI Barcelona - BBI Cambridge - BBI Mexico

Our Barcelona campus is open to visitors and classes are running, however under the local mandatory safety measures to ensure everyone’s safety. For the safety of our staff and participants, campus visits are limited and are subject to candidates’ interviews being completed. If you want to visit the campus, please the relevant MBA specialist Director to schedule a meeting.

The Cambridge Campus will only deliver the eMBA in Life Sciences online for the time being.  At the moment, physical visits are not a possibility although the eMBA specialist are always available over email, phone or ready to schedule a meeting and solve any doubt you might have. Also, a number of MBA open days delivered online are scheduled for candidates to solve their questions.  Contact us here and check our event site to apply for the online events.

We have classes running in-person in our Barcelona campus with a number of additional safety measures in place to protect our students and staff. We have limited the class size to guarantee compliance with local health requirements. Also, it is possible for students to join remotely if they cannot join in person or are not feel they are unable to attend in person.

The Cambridge Campus will only deliver the eMBA in Life Sciences online for the time being.  With new hybrid technology, our programmes remain an interactive opportunity for our students to learn.

Thanks to our unique educational agreement with three of the main research centres in Barcelona our model, based on a practical patent filings, that allows our students to have an intensive full-time experience to achieve a global understanding of commercial decision-making processes.

Discussions with principal researchers and innovation managers who are planning on developing new drugs make this experience very interactive and with the academic co-ordination and the board of lectures further discussion are continued during the practical classes. The case study case is a real example, reflecting today’s global business ecosystem in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry.

Every day is different throughout the year. During the first stage, when students take their common modules, apart from the evening classes from Monday to Thursday, the students also develop their career impact programmes. These programmes have their project meetings at various research centres and participate in extra-curriculum activities.

For the final semester in Barcelona, each student develops their own academic internship programme depending on their chosen career itinerary chosen. All programmes have the same number of assignments and group work to complete. Typically, the second semester is focused increasing the time spent on students’ career-related activities.

The BBI network is formed by our alumni, the academic staff, lecturers, partner companies and the technology transfer offices who collaborate with us. Over the years, we have developed a community over 700 people globally in direct contact every year. 

For more information, visit our BBI community Report

BBI MBA students have an average age of 24, although a few students may be slightly older. In some cases, other BBI programmes such our Executive Education courses are recommended as they may be a better fit for some specific professional goals. However, there is no upper age limit and all ages are encouraged to apply.

Our career opportunities are similar for whatever career path you may choose, nevertheless, the differing itineraries may take you along different career paths. Before deciding what itinerary you may choose, you may need to have during the admission process a career pre-assessment evaluation. In addition, when you start an MBA course in October you will be working with our Career Specialists team to enable your next career step from the beginning of the academic year. 

No. English is the language of instruction on both campuses.

To benefit most of the educational experience a proficient level of English is required for the programmes. An appropriate level of ability is required to communicate effectively in complex work-related situations.  For example, conveying messages correctly during long business discussions is required. A basic level of informal conversational English would not be sufficient for applicants but further language development training can be recommended before the course starts.

The MBA has a general management focus with the objective of preparing leaders to take on global roles in organisations or start their own companies a near future. In addition, students can concentrate on a particular area by taking different itineraries, which are offered during the second semester.

Yes, studying for an International MBA is a key step forwards in your more commercial career progression in industry after your PhD. The transition from the research laboratory into new management positions requires an understanding of many additional business aspects for the effective commercialisation of scientific research. For example, developing new products and treatments requires an in-depth understanding of how the pharmaceutical industry, as well as biotechnology, medial devices and digital health companies, operate commercially.

The BBI MBA syllabus or curriculum is prepared to deliver a one-year more intensive approach to a professional development in international business administration specifically relevant for the biotechnology sector and the pharmaceutical industry. The return on your investment after completing the MBA is relatively rapid due to our career impact programme and the development of your personal skills to manage your time and make decisions more efficiently.

Applying to this MBA programme will challenge your leadership business skills and develop them to the highest level in a specific sector. Unlike other MBAs, we focus only on one industrial sector and do not dilute your time by teaching on other less relevant sectors to you career.

The BBI students during the MBA programme reside full-time in Barcelona, attending classes Monday through Thursday, and a different variety of networking activities and conferences take place during the year.

MBA students tend to be at an earlier stage in their careers and have less professional experience than participants in the Executive Programmes. The majority of participants in the Executive Programmes are already working industry and continue to work while they carry out the programme in parallel.

We understand the initial step that scientists need to make to develop their future professional development in business, it will not impact your chances of acceptance if you do not have experience in- company as yet. At the BBI we value students driven by their commercial objectives and with a clear mindset in terms of personal and future professional development.

We welcome all applications and we receive many different types of applications. We expect the same from all candidates, which is a strong willingness to develop their management skills towards making a difference the global industry and to demonstrate their leadership potential. Business acumen can be developed but the motivation needs to come from the student.

We cannot define a typical profile of a student at the BBI.  We have a very diverse set of students every year in terms of age, professional experience, education and culture. Review the latest alumni report for further information.

Yes. All applications go through a first process of selection where the candidate will be interviewed to assess the application, review the programme objectives and understand the potential of the BBI career impact programme on their careers. After this first stage, only those selected from the interview will continue with the application process. Interviews can be via videoconference, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The different career “itineraries” will take you through the relevant specialisations in the global industry to develop your future career. The main aspect of this process is to help you decide how this could help develop your future career path.

The BBI has an international assessment programme for the students to help them understand how to development their career paths into suitable companies. Contact us at info@bbibarcelona.com