FBMETB: Emerging Technologies Business Case Study

Module code: FBMETB

Module provider: Food and Nutritional Sciences; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 15

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Summer (vacation) semester

Module convenor: Professor Jeremy Spencer, email: j.p.e.spencer@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Professor Richard Frazier, email: r.a.frazier@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

In this module you will form international and cross-disciplinary teams across the EIT Food cohort to develop new and promising business cases for specific emerging technologies in the food sector. Throughout this module you will be mentored by and present your findings to potential investors from industry partners

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Describe the business environment in the food sector 
2. Perform a due diligence analysis on a specific food sector idea 
3. Articulate the market opportunity, including a competitor analysis and industry assessment 
4. Develop a commercialisation strategy 
5. Pitch a strategy to potential investors 

Module content

The module will cover the following content:  

• Intellectual property protection mechanisms 
• Due diligence on science and technology 
• Business model creation and commercialisation pathways 
• Market and industry assessment 
• Routes to market for clean technologies 
• Managing ventures 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be delivered via a combination of workshop sessions with keynotes from industry partners, online meetings, mentoring sessions, as well as on-site mentoring by teaching staff. An online materials repository will be available for self-study. The business cases are to be presented and pitched at a dedicated workshop session. 

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module:

1. A mark of 50% in each assessment
2. An overall module mark of 50%

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs