Pharmaceutical companies as guests in virtual space

The review of the summer semester 2020 is different from what one would have expected at the beginning of the semester. Covid-19 suddenly posed new challenges for the study programme. It was therefore all the more pleasing that, despite the switch to online teaching, exciting guest lectures could be offered at the Department of Bio- & Food Technology. On 25 May, the head of the course, Professor Christoph Griesbeck, welcomed top managers from Roche and Sandoz in a virtual room. Ben Hahnewald (Head of Reference Standards Distribution, Roche, Basel; MCI graduate), Georg Singewald (Head of Global Quality Control, Roche/Genentech, San Francisco) and Mario Riesner (CEO, Sandoz GmbH Austria; MCI graduate) were present from three countries. They provided insights into how pharmaceutical companies deal with the Covid-19 situation. From a business point of view, the question arose of how pharmaceutical companies of this size meet the challenges in the supply chain. The influence on corporate culture and cooperation with health authorities was also examined. In a Q&A session, the students had the opportunity to bring in their own questions. Questions about the development of a vaccine played a major role here.

A guest lecture by the Swiss biotechnology company Lonza followed on 2 June. Six speakers, including MCI graduate Claudia Nebrenska, introduced the company and IbexTM Solutions. IBEX is Lonza's complete proprietary approach to pharmaceutical biotechnology for compounds from preclinical to commercial phases. Opportunities for internships and career entry were also discussed in the online guest lecture.

We are pleased that the events were so well received, despite the fact that this was the first time that they were online. In the coming winter semester our students will again have the opportunity to gain insights into the work of potential employers.