Gunter Festel

Outsourcing chemical synthesis in the drug discovery process.

The positive effects of outsourcing chemical synthesis are enhanced if the provider offers, as the strategic partner, unique expertise and complements the existing internal competencies of pharmaceutical companies. The emerging cooperation model of leased competence offers additional access to high-level specialist knowledge: external service providers are temporarily integrated into internal R&D teams and can support R&D projects flexibly and quickly. Practice examples show that this cooperation model supports the efficient realization of milestones and, in the long-term, helps to build up a high internal competence level, especially in small pharmaceutical companies.

Early stage technology investments of Pre-Seed Venture Capitalists

Although technology transfer offices at universities are widely installed, in many cases, inventions made in academia still struggle to be commercialised. This so-called technology transfer gap can be overcome by professionalised pre-founding activities. Whereas prevailing investment models, like business angels or traditional venture capitalists, usually tie up their business activity on already founded companies, pre-seed venture capitalists (PSVC) attempt to align inventions made at academia with entrepreneurship by founding start-ups. Against this background, this study aims at examining the perceptions of deficiencies of the prevailing investment models and the role of the PSVCs in the pre-founding phase. PSVC companies operating in the biotechnology and nanotechnology area and with a broader technology approach have been analysed within a multi case study research. The results show that based on the technological scope and the financial source of the investment activity, four different types of PSVC business models can be identified and described. Technology transfer offices at universities and research institutions supporting the founding process of start-ups can use the findings to develop and execute specific partnership strategies with these PSVC types.

Calculation of Raw Material Prices and Conversion Costs for Biofuels

The current taxation benefits for biofuels are only temporary. Therefore, biofuel production costs need to be able to compete with those of conventional fuels in order to gain market share in the future. However, highly complex influencing factors make a comparison of biofuel production costs with those of fossil fuels challenging. This chapter has three major goals: (1) a projection of future feedstock prices for biofuels based on the development of the price for crude oil, (2) a simulation of the effects of likely economies of scale from scaling-up production size and technological learning on production costs and (3) a scenario analysis comparing different biofuels and fossil fuels. European biofuel production costs for 2015 as well as 2020 are projected based on a calculation model for biofuel production. Our scenarios assume prices for crude oil between Euro 50 and Euro 200 per barrel for both reference years. Our results indicate that mid- to long-term, second-generation biofuels are very likely to achieve competitive production costs, if technological learning and economies of scale are factored in. Bioethanol made from lignocellulosic biomass and biodiesel from waste oil promise the highest cost-saving potential in all crude price scenarios and are capable of outperforming fossil fuels and first-generation biofuels in the future.

Benchmarking of industrial park infrastructures in Germany

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the operational performance of industrial park infrastructures in Germany to find first indications for cost saving potentials. Design/methodology/approach – Between 2006 and 2007, six chemical parks and chemical related industrial parks in Germany participated in a benchmarking study with focus on operation and maintenance of buildings, communication infrastructures and traffic infrastructures. Based on data analysis in combination with workshops, numerous key performance indicators were defined and calculated. Findings – To compare the different complexities of the analysed infrastructures, the most important key performance indicators were adjusted using correction factors defined and verified during the workshops. This made a discussion based on comparable and comprehensible figures possible which increased the acceptance and applicability of the benchmarking methodology. The benchmarking results showed large differences in performance levels, indicat...