How to bridge the gap between scientists and entrepreneurs? This is the key question of the 11th edition of the Polish-Swiss Forum for Dialogue for Health, whose media patron is Medonet.
Poland has great potential in the production of pharmaceuticals and late-phase clinical trials. Scientists are making promising discoveries, but getting them to market is proving problematic. What could Poland do to bridge the gap between the academic community and the private sector? How can Poland strengthen its research and development (R&D) and start-up ecosystem in the field of pharmacy and life sciences? Among other things, these questions will be answered by experts during the 11th Polish-Swiss Forum for Health, which will be held on June 22, 2021.
The 11th edition of the Polish-Swiss Forum for Dialogue for Health is a discussion platform for the medical community, scientists, entrepreneurs and industry experts. This is the place to talk about what experts from Poland and Switzerland can learn from each other, how to create an environment conducive to successful R&D and investment in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. Thanks to the cooperation, scientists and entrepreneurs from both countries can use their experience and qualifications and use the international resources to build new initiatives.
- Forum registration and transmission: https://wspolpracadlazdrowia.pl/
The speakers of the June Forum will be representatives of both Polish and Swiss institutions and companies:
- Piotr Arak, Director of the Polish Economic Institute,
- Jürg Burri, Swiss Ambassador to Poland,
- Piotr Dardziński, President of the Łukasiewicz Research Network,
- Bart Dzikowski, Managing Director of Novartis Venture Fund,
- Neil Goldsmith, Director Strategy BaseLaunch
- Liliane Brunner Halbach, Expert in global pharma and life-sciences,
- Jacek Jemielity, President of ExpoRNA Therapeutics,
- Jan Krzewiński, President of the Management Board of Polpharma Biologics Gdańsk,
- Jordi Montserrat, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Venturelab,
- Radosław Sierpiński, Acting President of the Medical Research Agency,
- Michał Stępień, President of the Board of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Country Head of UBS Poland,
- Michał Walczak, Co-founder and Scientific Director of Captor Therapeutics,
- dr hab. med Michał Wszoła, transplant surgeon, President and Founder of Polbionica,
- Irma Verberič, General Manager Roche.
The speed with which scientists, governments and pharmaceutical companies collaborate to develop and implement diagnostics, therapy and vaccines for the new SARS-CoV-2 virus is historically unmatched. This is possible because the threat to public health and the global economy posed by this particular virus is unprecedented: this sense of urgency has helped mobilize unprecedented resources.
When the pandemic is over and the world is finally out of crisis mode, there will be many conditions and diseases for which there is no effective and efficient treatment available. There is even no therapy. However, it is optimistic that medical research is developing rapidly, for example in the field of biotechnology. The economic and social benefits of progress in this area cannot be overestimated. That is why it is so important to skillfully use the scientific and research potential and create conditions for the development of cooperation between research centers and business.
Pablo Padrutt, Head of the Economic, Financial and Scientific Section of the Swiss Embassy in Poland, inviting to the Forum, he says: “There is no modern health care without diagnostics, vaccines and treatments. When a scientist discovers something that can help patients, what happens next? What is needed to translate a scientific discovery into an effective product? In many countries, the gap between scientists and entrepreneurs remains very large. As the most innovative country in the world, Switzerland can share a lot of interesting experiences and knowledge on how to support research and development in new treatments and successfully bridge this gap. “
Innovations as a priority in the National Reconstruction Plan
The 11th edition of the Forum for Dialogue for Health, along with the topics that will be discussed by speakers from Poland and Switzerland, is part of the project of the National Plan for Reconstruction and Increasing the Immunity (KPO).
In its assumptions, the most important challenge is to properly support innovation at the stage of research and consistent commercialization of emerging medical and technological solutions.
In the National Reconstruction Plan we read “In some countries, the high potential of the biotechnology environment has become one of the key tools for an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the enormous potential of the entire sector, supported by numerous scientific and research institutions, the expenditure of the entire biotechnology sector in 2017 on R&D related to biotechnology was far behind the leading European markets. In last year’s ranking Industrial Research and Development Scoreboard there was no Polish company from the biotechnology and pharmacy sector.
The available reports of this sector in Poland show that there is no availability of funds for innovations in the early stages of development and that over 50% of investments were made by companies producing medical equipment, and only a small percentage in innovative drugs, which indicates a low propensity to risk from commercial companies and private investors.
Pharmaceutical innovations should be one of the priorities in the developed strategy for the development of the biomedical sector ”.
The benefits of cooperation between research and development centers and the business world seem obvious. The measurable results of this cooperation, such as the implementation of innovative solutions, access to the latest knowledge or higher product quality, cannot go unnoticed. The exchange of experiences and the opportunity to develop scientists who can put their inventions to use in practice is also extremely important.
Polish-Swiss Forum for Dialogue is an annual initiative whose aim is to discuss the shape and direction of reforms in the Polish health care system and to develop a model of relations between stakeholders based on an open dialogue, drawing on the Swiss experience. The event organized by the Swiss Embassy in Poland and the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce enables the exchange of views and a joint discussion of people involved in the healthcare system in Poland on solutions tailored to the needs of Polish society. The event is dedicated to the medical community, medical experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, patient organizations, associations and pro-health foundations.
The partners of the event are Roche and Novartis. The media partner of the event is MedTvoiLokony. More information about the Forum at: https://forumdialogu.swisschamber.pl/
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