Prof. César Nombela

Microbiology Department and MSD Special Chair in Genomics & Proteomics, Faculty of Pharmacy

University Complutense. Madrid. Spain

8th November 2006

Framework and Wealth of Opportunities for Biotechnology Development in Spain

NEW YORK-MADRID BIOTECHNOLOGY FORUM

Spain contributes about 3% of the world scientific production

The Madrid area represents about one third of the scientific output of the country.

The present trend towards decentralization in the country represents a new opportunity and a challenge for Madrid, that can also benefit from a substantial increase in the R&D efforts of the whole country.

All kinds of indicators show a very favorable evolution of the research activity and the visibility of spanish life sciences.

The exploitation of knowledge remains as something to be improved and the main objective of public administrations and the private industrial sector

Evolution of spanish scientific production in areas

relevant for Biotechnology

The Mediterranean area is one of the most dynamic in Europe

A significant fraction of the population lives in the shores or move there seasonally. Population fluctuations.

Problems of overexploitation of resources, environmental stress, water management.

Other challenges to sustainability are caused periodical meteorological catastrophes and summer fires.

A frontier and an area of human fluxes and migration.

Madrid a focal point of the dynamics of the Mediterranean

area of Europe

Health and nutrition: the mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest.

Ageing population: one of the highest life expectancies in the world.

Biodiversity (Spain represents about 80% of biodiversity in the EU).

Coastal management, marine ecosystem, fisheries and sustainable agriculture.

Water management and renewable energies.

Cultural heritage.

Wealth of biotech-related research topics and priorities in

Spain as a result of the special situation

Biological and medical information databases.

Reference laboratories for multiple purposes.

When appropriate sharing of infrastructure of technical resources and human assets

Promote training and good practices in different activities (informatics, data quality assurance, consultancy, IP rights.

Forum for discussions and agreement between public funded projects and the private sector.

The importance of infrastructures and databases to be developed by cooperation between academic and private partnerships