In this hands-on seminar, you’ll learn to read financial statements, manage budgets, select the right KPIs and evaluate investments. Practical tools and real-world scenarios from pharma, biotech and MedTech will give you the confidence to interpret financial data, build and defend budgets and communicate financial decisions effectively. No prior knowledge of accounting or finance is required.
Factsheet
- Degree
- Confirmation of participation
- Learning mode
- Onsite
- Next start
- 1.10.2026
- Duration
- 4 days (1.10./2.10./15.10/16.10.)
- Teaching languages
- English
- Venues
- FHNW Campus Muttenz, Hofackerstrasse 30, 4132 Muttenz
- Fee
- CHF 2 900
At a glance
- Bridge the gap from science to finance with Life-Sciences-specific scenarios.
- Master the three core financial statements: Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow.
- Build, justify and control business cases and budgets, and communicate results effectively to finance and leadership.
- Leave with ready-to-use templates, a personal action plan and the confidence to lead financial conversations.
Aims and benefits
You will explore how financial thinking drives decision-making in the life sciences industry and how to connect scientific leadership with business impact. Combining essential financial concepts with hands-on workshops and real-world case studies, this seminar equips you with the skills to understand financial information, manage budgets, measure performance and make informed investment decisions.
By the end of the seminar you will be able to:
- Read and interpret financial statements.
- Build, justify and control budgets and analyse cost variances.
- Apply NPV, IRR and ROI to evaluate R&D projects and capital investments.
- Select and use the right KPIs to link operational activities to financial results.
- Develop a compelling business case and present it persuasively to finance and leadership.
Target audience
This seminar is designed for people with a scientific or technical background in the pharmaceutical, biotech and MedTech sectors who are taking on financial responsibility. It is equally valuable for experienced managers who want to sharpen their financial acumen and communicate more effectively with finance and leadership teams. No prior knowledge of accounting or finance is required. Participants include R&D team leads, project managers, medical affairs leads, marketing and sales managers, and production, QA or supply chain managers.
Structure and programme contents
The seminar combines short expert inputs with hands-on workshops, group work and real-world case studies from the life sciences industry. Each day builds on the previous one, culminating in a final capstone presentation before a simulated executive board on Day 4. This ensures that participants not only understand the concepts but can also apply them effectively.
Day 1: Finance fundamentals and mastering budgets
Day 2: KPIs, performance and business partnering
Day 3: The pharma business model and investment decisions
Day 4: Business case mastery and final presentations
Lecturer
Dr. Merike Glass. With a background in finance and managing multi-million-euro projects and platforms at Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi, Dr. Glass has been at the interface of finance, project management and business strategy for decades. Her training programmes are based on real-world pharma, biotech and MedTech scenarios, enabling participants to apply new skills immediately.
Organisational matters
Advising and Info Events
Registration
Seminar Finance Essentials for Life Sciences Professionals1 October 2026
- Date
- 1.10.2026–16.10.2026
- Duration
- 4 days
- Place
- FHNW Campus Muttenz
- Final application date
- 27.8.2026
Seminar Finance Essentials for Life Sciences Professionals21 January 2027
- Date
- 21.1.2027–5.2.2027
- Duration
- 4 days
- Place
- FHNW Campus Muttenz
- Final application date
- 17.12.2026