The GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Club Announces
the Sixth Annual
Biotechnology Business Plan Competition

Sponsored by:

The GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Club announces the sixth annual Biotechnology Business Plan Competition with sponsorship from the international law firm of Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, Merck Research Laboratories (MRL)-Boston and the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard (TECH).

The GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Business Plan Competition is unique in that it focuses exclusively on biotechnology start-ups. The 2005 Biotechnology Business Plan competition is open to entrepreneurs, students and professionals worldwide, and does not require Harvard University affiliation. The competition offers a $5,000 cash award for the first prize, and a $1,000 cash award for second prize. It also presents the opportunity for early stage biotechnology companies to have their business plans reviewed by seasoned venture capitalists and other biotechnology experts in the Boston area.

To enter, a team must submit in Adobe Acrobat™ format (1) their individual contact information, (2) a one paragraph summary of the company, (3) a two-page executive summary and (4) a business plan. These documents must be e-mailed to startup@thebiotechclub.org no later than Sunday, May 15, 2005. Submissions will be considered from early stage companies who have garnered less than $1 million in seed funding.

Leading up to the competition, the GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Club is hosting a series of workshops designed to assist applicants. Workshops will be led by Harvard Business School professors and will teach the basics of writing a business plan and how to tackle some of the corporate, intellectual property and organizational hurdles faced by start-up companies in the biotech sector. This series will conclude with our annual Venture Capital and IP/Tech Transfer Q&A panels. All of the events are open to the public and will be held in the rotunda of the Harvard Medical School NRB building in Boston, MA.

Schedule of Events:

Wednesday, April 13th, 4:00 - 6:00pm
Dr. Joe Lassiter and Dr. Mike Roberts
4:00 - 4:50pm: The Basics of Writing a Business Plan
5:10 - 6:00pm: A Critique of 2004's Competition Finalists, NeuroHealing Pharmaceuticals and Mujisan Pharmaceuticals

Thursday, April 28th, 4:00 - 6:00pm
Dr. Lee Fleming and Dr. Noam Wasserman

4:00 - 4:50pm: Founders and Teams in a Start-up Company
5:10 - 6:00pm: Cambridge vs Silicon Valley as Start-up Environments

Thursday, May 5th, 4:00 - 6:00pm
Venture Capital and IP/Tech Transfer Panels
Panelists: To Be Announced

Sunday, May 15th
Business Plan Competition Submission Deadline

Thursday, June 2nd, 7:00 - 9:00pm
Final Awards Ceremony and Reception

The organizers and judges respect the sensitive nature of the business plans and, as such, the Biotech Club will limit distribution of full business plans to participating judges only. The Biotech Club encourages teams to submit detailed plans, which will be reviewed and judged by senior venture capitalists and biotechnology industry experts affiliated with the competition. After the submission deadline, the Biotech Club will post on its Web site the one-paragraph summary of each competing company along with the company's contact information. The GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Business Plan Competition is unique in that it focuses exclusively on biotechnology start-ups. In 2005, with the continued generous sponsorships of Brown Rudnick and Merck Research Laboratories, the Biotech Club hopes to achieve the tremendous success of previous competitions. The 2004 winners of the GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Club Business Plan Competition were NeuroHealing Pharmaceuticals and ImmunoModulary Solutions. Summaries ofpreviously submitted plans may be viewed on the Biotech Club's Past Competitions' Web site.

For additional information about the Biotechnology Business Plan Competition, the Biotech Club, or becoming a sponsor, please contact Thekla Diehl, tdiehl@thebiotechclub.org or Patrick Loerch, patrick@thebiotechclub.org

About Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP
Brown Rudnick is a full-service, international law firm with offices in the United States and Europe. The firm's 200 attorneys provide representation across key areas of the law: Corporate & Securities, Intellectual Property, Government Law & Strategies, Complex Litigation, Real Estate, Bankruptcy & Finance, Energy and Health Care. Combining a dedication to excellence with a commitment to superior client service, Brown Rudnick provides its clients with a breadth and depth of expertise uniquely suited to their legal needs.

The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is a measure of the Firm's strong commitment to the community and serves as an umbrella entity encompassing the Firm's pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement and public interest efforts.

About Merck Research Laboratories
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines in more than 20 therapeutic categories. The company devotes extensive efforts to increase access to medicines through far-reaching programs that not only donate Merck medicines but help deliver them to the people who need them. Merck also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service. For more information, visit www.merck.com.

The latest addition to the Merck network of advanced research facilities, Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) Boston, launched in August 2004. The MRL Boston research center is dedicated to the discovery of therapeutics for Oncology and Alzheimer's disease - therapeutic areas that will improve worldwide human health. For more information, visit www.mrk-brc.com.