The conference "Company-academia connection: innovation and shared future" organized by SeBiot and CIB Margarita Salas was held on April 1

On April 1, the Margarita Salas Center for Biological Research (CSIC) hosted a key event on innovation and biotechnology entrepreneurship, organized with the Spanish Society of Biotechnology (SeBiot). Multiple experts from the sector attended the meeting to discuss the transfer of knowledge from academia to industry.

Challenges in translational research, vaccine development, applied biotechnology, and the fundamental role of collaboration between science and business were addressed throughout the day. Speakers such as Ana Martínez (CIB-CSIC researcher and founder of Ankar Pharma), Fernando de la Calle (Pharmamar), and María Urbano (EvoEnzyme) presented success stories highlighting the importance of protecting knowledge with patents that facilitate the consolidation phase of a company and the collaboration between academia and industry, adapting to the needs of the scientific world and the economic requirements of the business world.

During the round tables, CEOs, scientific advisors, and corporate directors such as Ion Arocena (AseBio) or Carmen Vela (Foro de Empresas Innovadoras) highlighted the need to reduce bureaucracy, promote mixed teams composed of researchers and entrepreneurs, and generate effective financing strategies. They analyzed financing tools such as the CDTI grants and European funds, which allow projects to be promoted from their beginnings to their consolidation in the market.

The conference concluded with a call to strengthen ties between academia and industry to facilitate the creation of viable companies. Emphasis was placed on the need for institutional support and higher training in business management within the scientific field to maximize the impact of research in the productive sector.