Public health challenges: beyond research we need investments, infrastructures and a strong link with industry

Gianluca Polifrone, general director of the Fondazione Biotecnopolo di Siena from 10 June 2024, speaking on the sidelines of the presentation event of the foundation "Verso una rete europea contro le pandemie" (Towards a European network against pandemics), dwells on some crucial aspects in the strategy to equip the Country with a structure capable of responding to possible future epidemic-pandemic risks and other major health challenges. "Italy has internationally recognised scientific excellence, but doing excellent research is not enough, we need continuous investment, adequate infrastructure, and above all a stable link between public research and private industry".

A strategic national pole that conducts excellent research and keeps a constant eye on the context, activating wide-ranging strategic agreements and collaborations, both national and international, and acts as a collector between research and technology transfer and patenting.

"A connection, the latter, which is too weak today - Polifrone points out - and which risks limiting our country's ability to innovate and compete on major public health issues. Added to this is the problem of uncompetitive salaries, which drive many young researchers to go abroad".

Training and attracting talent, therefore, are at the heart of this strategy, even more so in an area with a high concentration of scientific and specialised skills such as the life sciences.

“With the Biotecnopolo we are working to provide our country with a structure that makes use of qualified skills, tools, and technologies to conduct innovative scientific research, attracting the best skills, selecting the best industrial partners, and activating valuable scientific collaborations, in order to protect public health and limit the economic and social impact of possible future pandemics” concludes Gianluca Polifrone, General Director of the Biotecnopolo Foundation of Siena.

Read the article on Il Sole 24 Ore: "Riparte il Biotecnopolo di Siena: sarà l'hub europeo dei vaccini, nel mirino anche i super batteri"