Industry Practicum Project
88% of surveyed industry professionals say professional skills are important to job placement, making our Industry Practicum Project important to the success of MMB graduates as enter the workforce.
Each semester, students work with a different segment of the biosciences markets. Students rotate between large biopharma & medical device companies, small companies, and large industrial & agricultural biotechnology companies.
Industry
Partnership
Nearly 50 industry companies have worked with us since the program began in 2003.
Different Areas
of Industry
Students get exposure to a variety of different sectors within the biotech industry.
Develop Professional Skills
Students work in teams to foster communication, problem-solving and other important skills.
Industry Partnerships
The MMB Program students, faculty, and staff extend our warmest thanks to the companies and mentors who provide relevant, real-world projects and mentoring to the MMB students every semester.
Companies sponsoring practicum projects for the 2025 Fall semester are listed below, along with the mentor and project title where permissible.
LabCorp
Project Description: This industry practicum project involves conducting a comprehensive competitive analysis of Labcorp’s companion diagnostic development capabilities against five major competitors. Students will evaluate and compare companies across four key areas: marketing strategies and digital presence, technical capabilities in PCR/NGS/IHC/digital pathology, commercialization reach (US and international), and regulatory compliance standards. The project includes developing detailed case studies examining both technical capabilities and marketing approaches for emerging diagnostic areas including MASH genotyping, AAV antibody detection, digital pathology, and targeted NGS sequencing. Students will gain hands-on experience in competitive intelligence, market research, and strategic analysis while producing actionable insights to support Labcorp’s positioning in the rapidly growing precision medicine market.
Ad Astra Diagnostics
Mentor: Danielle Stewart Noel
Gilead Sciences
Project Description: Investigate the technologies and trends that will define the next era of pharmaceutical innovation, from cutting-edge AI applications to the shifting skills and roles of tomorrow’s workforce.
Mentor: Nick Taylor
It’s not just our students that benefit from the MMB industry practicum project. Through these projects, MMB students have generated valuable insights and recommendations that have positively impacted partnering companies’ operations.
How it Works
Over the course of three semesters, MMB students complete three practicum projects. Students spend the first few weeks of each semester learning about topics related to the biotechnology industry, attending seminars led by industry guest speakers, and practicing their oral and written communication skills.
For the rest of the semester, MMB students work in teams of 4-5 students to complete practicum projects developed by partnering companies in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. Industry-partner companies and student teams change each semester to increase exposure to different companies and foster versatility in teamwork. By pairing our industry practicum projects with a series of professional skill development modules, MMB students gain practical, industry-related experience, develop necessary professional skills, meet valuable contacts, and explore career paths.
Typical MMB Practicum Project Timeline
| Week(s) | Stage of Project | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project Kick Off | Project team meets at host company site to outline the project with the company liaisons. |
| 2-3 | Project Work | Team members complete tasks prioritized through their own internal project management functions. |
| 4 | Team Presentation | Team provides an in-class presentation regarding host company history, business model, etc. Team presents project problem addressed, scope and goals. |
| 5 | Project Work | Team members complete tasks prioritized through their own internal project management functions. |
| 6 | Mid-Project Update | Team meets at host company site to provide company liaison(s) and course instructors with a mid-project update. |
| 7-10 | Project Work | Team members complete tasks prioritized through their own internal project management functions. |
| 11 | Team Presentation | Team meets at host company site to provide company stakeholders with a final, confidential project presentation and to submit deliverables. |
| 12 | Final Presentation | Team provides a public presentation of the project to the class, faculty and industry guests. The team submits final deliverables to course instructors. |
