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Team:UCL E/Business/Marketing
From 2013.igem.org
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Industry Description
Our product belongs to two industries: eduction and small-scale research. The biotechnology education market is steadily increasing as new discoveries come to light and equipment costs decrease.
Target Markets
We have identified three markets: Education, Citizen Science and Field Research.
Education: Our primary market is science education in UK secondary schools. When At present, schools are reported to have [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22369573 too little equipment] for effective practical work and [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10030738/Schools-wasting-science-lab-budget-on-photocopying.html unable to offer] a full range of practical lessons.
Citizen Science: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science Citizen scientists] is a term used to described amateur or nonprofessional scientists that has gained popularity in recent years, including in [http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7444-259a research], [http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/ science magazines] and the [http://makezine.com/2010/09/01/citizen-science-month/ maker community]. As it is is difficult to estimate an accurate figure of molecular biology citizen scientists, we choose to approximate the size of a group by using the example of the DIYBio network. [http://diybio.org DIYBio] presents a growing citizen science community of molecular biologists, biotechnologists and bioartists. Projects range from microbe mapping to [http://pavillon35.polycinease.com/recipe-1-yeast-printing/ yeast printing]. DIY Science can be considered as an [http://www.nature.com/spoton/2012/12/spoton-nyc-diy-science-an-alternate-approach-to-scientific-experimentation/ alternative approach to scientific experimentation]. One common barrier is access to the technology, where cost and skills are both problems.
Field Research: A range of fields, from textile conservation to evolutionary biology, require the use of biotechnology, in particular PCR.
Market Analysis
As of January 2013 there are [http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/stats/schoolcensus/a00208045/school-census-2013 3,281 state-funded secondary schools] in the UK with approximately 3.2 million pupils. Schools submit yearly budgets on the [http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/efafundingfinance/b00212647/external-assurance/budget-forecast-return July 31].
As of October 2013, there are [http://diybio.org/local/ 42 groups] declared worldwide and 3353 members on DIYbio Google group mailing list.
Competitors
There are no direct competitors who provide an alternative to our product. Our competition is more indirect and falls into three broad categories: companies offering laboratory equipment hardware kits, laboratory equipment supply and educational biotechnology kits. We assessed our product in comparison to other companies by the following criteria:
- Cost
- How cheap is the technology? How much does shipping cost?
- User-friendly
- How easy is the technology to use?
- Convenience
- Does the company ship internationally? Is it pre-manufactured or does it require assembly?
- Visibility
- How easy is the product to find?
Stakeholder outreach and product promotion routes
•Existing market groups –DIYbio: existing DIYbio spaces, mailing lists, Makerfaires, social media –iGEM HS: directly via iGEM HQ, including discount or promotion for registered iGEM teams –Schools: science education networks (STEM and PsiComm), educational funding bodies (BBSRC) –University Students: university representatives, advertise via iGEM teams, word of mouth –Field Researchers: targeted via specific case studies, academic journal advertising
•New markets, “mainstream” citizen scientists
Initially, we aim to target technophilic people, e.g. parents who want to do science with their children.
–Kickstarter –Wired and media –Sponsored citizen science projects –TV advertisement (e.g. during BBC Horizon, New Cosmos, etc.)
•Distribution –The product would be sold directly via the company’s online platform –The product could also be distributed to online merchants (Amazon, Ebay, etc.)
