Manuel Pérez Alonso is one of the most important entrepreneurial scientists in the Valencian scientific scene. Chairman of Bioval, the first bioregion that gathers different biotechnology-based companies in the Valencia region, the researcher has actively taken part in the creation of different business projects, like Valentia Biopharma or Institut de Medicina Genòmica (Institute of Genomic Medicine). Pérez Alonso combines his private work with teaching in the University of Valencia, where he is Full Professor of Genetics.
The scientist defines himself as the catalyst of the I National Congress of Entrepreneurial Scientists entitled From Science to Business which will be hosted by the University of Valencia from the 7th to the 9th of November. In these conferences the difficulties of starting a new business in science will be talked about. The keys for understanding the transfer of research knowledge from a public sphere to a private one will be given as well in these conferences. This transfer may be the only way to make the survival of scientific research possible, which has been brought to a stand still due to government cutbacks. What is the aim of the Congress? This is a scientific congress in which scientific matters will not be talked about. We will talk about their application —the transfer of knowledge into society through businesses. I think businesses are the best means for this transfer. We want to detect the obstacles that make scientific entrepreneurship difficult in this country and try to find ways to overcome them. It is not just a course; it is an event for sharing first-hand experiences with the attendants.
What is your target audience? Mainly scientists from public universities and public research centres that have already started their own businesses, or are considering the possibility of starting one. But, aside from the obvious profile, there are three other kinds of attendants that are very important from my perspective. Firstly, there are students and predoctoral researchers, since they have the potential of becoming entrepreneurs. Secondly, there are the agents of innovation, like members of OTRI (Office for Transfer of Research Results) from different universities or experts in technological transfer from laboratories to businesses. Lastly, there are investors seeking opportunities in scientific-based businesses. In fact, there is a conference on investment on the second day of the congress.
How many attendants are you expecting? We are expecting more than two hundred people, and that is an indicator of how welcomed this congress has been. Prince Felipe will be there as honorary president of the event. The chairman of the congress’ scientific committee is professor Agustín Escardino, a scientific expert and ‘senior entrepreneur’, who will share his learning experience, talking about both positive and negative aspects.
When did you start to think about holding a congress for scientific entrepreneurs? Why did it come to be? It was about two years ago, when I found the Spanish Network of Entrepreneurial Scientists. We can find its origins in a concern that exists in the minds of many researchers —the number of scientific-based business started every year in this country is alarmingly low. Statistics are worrying because, if we check other countries’ statistics, like the USA, for instance, there are dozens of businesses springing from public institutions. These kinds of project barely exist in Spain. One has to take into account the potential they have to create jobs and their wealth-generating capacity. In the Spanish Network of Entrepreneurial Scientists, which currently has more than 1500 members, we exchange our concerns and that is how the idea of organising this congress came up.
How much effort has been invested in organising this pioneer congress in Spain? It has been a great challenge for me to organise this congress from scratch. That is why we have carried out a massive campaign using social networks. Our diffusion campaign was successful thanks to marketing.
The economic crisis has also affected science. Do you think this is the ideal time to hold this congress on entrepreneurship? Of course! In fact, the crisis positively affects entrepreneurship. I share this reasoning with more scientists. The crisis is an opportunity because the only way to follow for scientists working in public institutions is to create their own businesses, that is, transferring their knowledge. Translational research is the only way we have to guarantee that research groups are funded not depending exclusively on public funds. I think public funding is an outdated model. That is why I encourage scientists to save their research by creating their own businesses. Do you consider that the University of Valencia is doing a good job encouraging business creation? The University has created the necessary conditions to start new businesses in science. For instance, I think that the University of Valencia Scientific Park, which provides spaces and services for scientific-based businesses, is essential. In addition, their hosting this congress is a new piece of evidence of that institutional support. However, I think we still have a long way to go.
The crisis has made young researchers a very vulnerable group. Which are the difficulties they have to face when they start their own businesses? Since I am a professor, I am in contact with many students, and every year I talk about the importance of entrepreneurship in my classes. Their worries are basically three: not having enough money, the lack of practical experience in research and not having the know-how of how to manage a company. Many of us have gone through that as well —they don’t know where to start.
Is it possible to overcome those problems? Of course, and I can demonstrate that one can start a successful new business having none of the three main elements I mentioned earlier. Money is not a problem because having a good idea and determination is much more important. The key is to find and convince investors to join the project financially. Obviously, trying to find resources is a costly process. Secondly, having no experience is easy solve —we have dozens of excellent scientific centres in Spain as well as research groups with a lot of potential that are not being properly used. Lastly, contacting an independent consultant office that works for the entrepreneur, and never the other way around, can solve the business management problem. The scientific entrepreneur does not have to be an expert in all these things, but has to find a way to cover those areas externally.
Do you think that currently we are wasting our scientific talents? Absolutely. Right now there is a massive brain drain in Spain because we are not favouring the optimum conditions for scientific and technological entrepreneurship. There is only one thing we can do to stop this —to create those conditions. I would like to ask to every scientist that is considering emigration as an option to think it through. I would tell them “Before leaving, start your own business”. We are running the risk of emptying our country of grey matter. Spain’s problem is that scientific work is not well paid, and this happens because it is undervalued.
What do you think is to blame for this underestimation of our scientists? I think there is not a scientific tradition in Spain. Unfortunately, we have always had a get-rich-quick culture, characterised by property speculation. We have to be careful not to transfer this culture to science, because we have to keep in mind that it is field that requires effort.
Which are the factors that make our business network weak? I think it is a combination of different factors— lack of scientific tradition, of entrepreneurship… We have chosen to go for short-term profits, and this is not possible in science. To start a scientific business is to make one’s life difficult, and carrying out a project is to run some important risks— to lose your time and money.
What do we need then to create a strong business network? It is urgent to take measures to face the coming months. I think we need a State agreement that encourages entrepreneurship. Precisely, one of the activities of the Congress is the institution of the Spanish Association of Scientific Entrepreneurs. This entity will gather the scientists’ demands to carry out their research. In the Congress we will write a code of conduct for institutions regarding scientific entrepreneurs. Institutions have to care for those researchers. I also think we should reconsider the public funding system making the companies that generate more R&D a priority.
Have private companies the necessary resources to create knowledge? The knowledge generator machine is fed with money. Investing in this is very expensive, and we have to be aware of this reality. That is why public institutions carry out most scientific research.
Have the traditional differences between private and public sectors been overcome? We still have them. However, I think that the view society has of the scientific entrepreneur has gradually changed with the years. Ten years ago some partners would think of you as a traitor to science because they considered you were only trying to make money. I think that is an outdated position, but there is a change in attitude.
«We want to detect the obstacles that make scientific entrepreneurship difficult in this country and try to find ways to overcome them»
«The crisis is an opportunity because the only way to follow for scientists working in public institutions is to create their own businesses, that is, transferring their knowledge.»
«Right now there is a massive brain drain in Spain because we are not favouring the optimum conditions for scientific and technological entrepreneurship»
«I think that the view society has of the scientific entrepreneur has gradually changed with the years. Ten years ago some partners would think of you as a traitor to science because they considered you were only trying to make money»
