Bioscience Futures: Communication, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Become an agent for change in the biosciences by combining entrepreneurial, communication and commercialisation skills to address global challenges.
Learn to create, prototype and pitch innovative and sustainable solutions to current and future bioscience challenges
Collaborate with peers to devise innovative strategies and deliver impactful solutions
Forge connections across a global network of alumni, providing you with life-long exchange of ideas and support
Course key facts
Qualification
MSc
Duration
1 year
Start date
September 2026
Study mode
Full-time
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Fees
£16,300 Home
£47,300 Overseas
Delivered by
Location
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South Kensington
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White City
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Minimum entry standard
2:1 in the Biosciences or an appropriate subject or equivalent relevant work experience.
Course overview
This is an innovative course for creative bioscience students with an entrepreneurial spirit, keen to explore possibilities for impactful and rewarding careers beyond the lab.
You'll learn how to use your knowledge of biosciences in an ethical and sustainable manner to find innovative, marketable and future-facing solutions to global problems and carry out your own research in predicting future possibilities in bioscience. We will empower you to become an agent for change in this sector.
You'll gain deep insights into the latest and most advanced biotechnologies, setting the stage for your own exploration into the future of bioscience investigating how biotechnologies can work together with fields like artificial intelligence and big data to address global challenges.
You'll have access to our Advanced Hackspace, located at the White City campus. This is where you can bring your ideas to life. You'll also receive guidance from our team of Hack Fellows and Hackspace experts.
You will have opportunities to hear from many professionals at the top of their game, including entrepreneurs, policy makers and communicators in the biosciences.
Our course modules are created with input from experts in these fields. The course and assessments are designed to nurture entrepreneurial skills, making you a flexible thinker who can spot opportunities and evaluate risks. There are no formal timed exams but instead a range of formative and summative assessments.
For the work placement-based project, you will have the opportunity to gather real-life experience in a start-up or biotech company, in bioscience communications or outreach activities; or identify your own placement.
Once you graduate, your career possibilities are wide-ranging. Among others, you could start your own business, work with social enterprises, join technology transfer offices, or dive into biotechnology companies.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
Please note: it may not always be possible to take specific combinations of modules due to timetabling conflicts. For confirmation, please check with the relevant department.
You’ll study the following core modules.
Using examples from Imperial Enterprise, you will study translation of research from novel ideas, through intellectual property protection, finding the best business partners, to marketable solutions.
You will learn to communicate complex bioscience research to the public, policy makers and other stakeholders.
You will be helped to develop workable and deliverable bioscience ideas to solve current and future challenges.
You will learn the characteristics of respectful, ethical and sustainable bioscience business ventures.
Using your entrepreneurial abilities, you will develop an innovative solution to a bioscience challenge in diagnostics, medtech, digital health, therapeutics or an area in the wider bioscience field that fits your teams' interests.
You will apply futures-thinking approaches to bioscience challenges, which you will showcase in a student-led symposium on Bioscience Futures.
You will be supported to source a suitable work-based placement, integrate as part of a team and apply your learning from the taught modules to contribute to the development of a new or existing project.
The final work placement-based project will be tailored specifically to this course and your personal interests. For example, you may choose to work in a start-up, or within a tech transfer, science policy or science communications team. This is a chance to showcase how you can put into practice what you've learned throughout the year in a real-world setting.
Teaching and assessment
Balance of teaching and learning
This is a general guide to how teaching and learning are usually balanced across this course. The methods used may change based on the modules you take.
Key
- Face-to-face lectures and independent study
- Work placement project
- 67% Title 1 goes here
- 33% Title 2 goes here
Teaching and learning methods
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Virtual learning environment
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Lectures recordings
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Student-led presentations
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Group work
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Workshops
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Live specialist Lectures and mini lectures
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Practical sessions
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Networking
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Case-based discussion
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Self-directed study
Balance of assessment
This is an example of how assessments are usually divided, based on a typical pathway through the course. The actual breakdown may vary depending on the modules you choose.
Key
- Face-to-face lectures and independent study
- Work placement project
- 67% Title 1 goes here
- 33% Title 2 goes here
Assessment methods
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Tutor and peer feedback
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Group assessments
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Student-led presentations and posters
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Self-reflection
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Project research
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Report writing
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Press release
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Prototyping
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Business plan proposal
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Commercialisation strategy
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Outreach/societal engagement activity
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Dragon’s Den
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Apply online
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can choose up to two courses.
There is no application fee for Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas, or courses such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are applying for a Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course.
The application fees for postgraduate courses are:
- £90 for all Master's applications, excluding those to Imperial Business School
- £125 for MSc applications to Imperial Business School
- £150 for MBA applications to Imperial Business School
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
Find out more about how to apply for a Master's course, including references and personal statements.
Students who are eligible will be invited to complete a 3-minute presentation based on a bioscience topic, addressing a bioscience problem and proposing innovative solutions. This can be done in a unique format.
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
Fees and funding
Home fee - Bioscience Futures
2026 entry
£16,300
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
The maximum value of the loan is £12,858 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2025.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Please note:
- The loan is only available if you’re studying a full Master’s course from the start.
- If you start on a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and later move on to the Master’s, you won’t be eligible for this loan.
Overseas fee - Bioscience Futures
2026 entry
£47,300
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
The maximum value of the loan is £12,858 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2025.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Please note:
- The loan is only available if you’re studying a full Master’s course from the start.
- If you start on a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and later move on to the Master’s, you won’t be eligible for this loan.
Scholarships
View all scholarshipsHow will studying at Imperial help my career?
Learn the skills required to become an entrepreneur in the biosciences
This course will prepare you to start your own business, work in the biotech sector, or pursue careers in consulting, investment, policy-making, or science communication.
You will supercharge your career options as an entrepreneur and/or increase your level of employability.
Further links
Contact the department
- Email: biofutures@imperial.ac.uk
Course Directors: Professor Sara Rankin, Dr Anne Burke-Gaffney.
Visit the National Heart and Lung Institute website.
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Events, tasters and talks
Meet us and find out more about studying at Imperial.
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Register your interest
Stay up to date on news, events, scholarship opportunities and information related to this course.
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Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications