This year's Cordia Convention (October 11th-13th) is to host a 'Licensing Master-class' as the platform on which Roche and Genentech will discuss the key aspects of partnering for the first time ever.

This 'Master-class' will look at the key elements of successful partnering, alliance management and achieving a win-win situation for both sides of the partnership. The panel of speakers will include, Dr Tobias Kiechle, Roche, Aron Knickerbocker, Genentech, Dr Roger Lloyd from AstraZeneca and Dr Richard Mason from Cambridge Antibody Technology.

Key topics include: The advantages and disadvantages of alliance management and alliance management structures. There will be examples of different structures for different deal types and how these can be used to direct programmes and manage intellectual property issues as well as heading off of disputes.

This interactive session will start with a short discussion focused on how and when communication can go wrong between the parties involved in the deal. This will be followed by a discussion between the panelists and the audience. The aim is to provide a detailed discussion of the positive aspects of partnering, as well as the drawbacks and to look at real life examples of what has worked and where difficulties have been encountered, said an official release.