In Catalonia, we prefer to say we’re a land of expertise. And we’re. We have good scientists, main analysis facilities, top-tier hospitals, and networks like ICREA and iCERCA which have put the area on the European map. Our publication figures, our success in securing aggressive funding from the European Research Council (ERC), and our analysis affect all attest to this. So far, so reputable.
But there is an uncomfortable reality that we not often voice in public: we do not lack analysis; we lack the capacity to translate that analysis into economics. Hundreds of patents are generated every year, however solely about 15% are licensed. spin-offs They are born with enthusiasm, however many of them are on life assist. Revenue from mental property is meager in comparison with the quantity of information produced. Meanwhile, universities like KU Leuven in Belgium remodel analysis into lots of of tens of millions of euros yearly in licenses and industrial collaborations.
It’s not an issue of scientific intelligence. It’s an issue of channels, incentives, and ladders. And therein lies the paradox: we make investments closely in analysis, however we industrialize little or no. Creating firms would not essentially imply creating business.
The international locations forward of us share a structural attribute: the personal sector leads R&D funding. In Belgium and Sweden, over 60% of analysis spending comes from companies. In Spain, we lag behind in Europe. If firms do not buy innovation, innovation would not materialize into merchandise. And with out merchandise, there is no technological GDP. Our enterprise cloth is largely made up of SMEs, usually with restricted assets and little capability to tackle important technological danger. Universities generate information, however the market is not at all times prepared to soak up it. The consequence is an ecosystem depending on annual requires proposals, designed in accordance with the logic of the public sector, not the world market.
All this leads us to the well-known “valley of death”: that house between the laboratory and the market the place good concepts run out, not for lack of high quality, however for lack of journey.
What does actual innovation want? Robust proofs of idea, working prototypes, regulatory validations, pilot vegetation, and multi-year tasks that do not finish simply as they start to mature. Professional groups that perceive each the language of the lab and that of business. And sure, cash. But above all, sustained political dedication past a single election cycle. And this is the place we frequently stumble: too many small applications. Too many one- or two-year requires proposals. Too a lot forms. Too many intermittent cuts. Too a lot instability. Innovation would not flourish in an ecosystem designed to reduce danger.
Innovation doesn’t flourish in an ecosystem designed to reduce danger. ”
The international locations which have made the leap have not created simply one other pilot challenge. They’ve remodeled switch right into a nationwide infrastructure. They’ve professionalized the course of: highly effective switch workplace technicians, product managers technological, entrepreneurs-in-residenceThey have legislated to speed up, to not decelerate: sandboxes Regulatory measures, genuinely revolutionary public procurement, and contractual flexibility have been key. Too a lot criticism has been centered on specialised clusters. And, above all, they’ve created a market. Without demand, analysis by no means leaves the laboratory.
Recently We were celebrating ICREA’s 25th anniversary, An simple collective success. We have been in a position to appeal to expertise. We have constructed scientific excellence. What we’ve not carried out with the similar dedication is to remodel that excellence right into a productive economic system.
What would a real nationwide pact entail? Five- or ten-year applications for prototyping and validation. Agile flexibility in know-how procurement. Academic evaluations that significantly assess know-how switch, not simply tutorial achievements. Mechanisms to allow SMEs to buy know-how with out going bankrupt. Taxation that incentivizes real collaboration. Public procurement that fosters markets and worldwide benchmarks.
And maybe additionally a cultural shift: measuring much less amount and extra high quality. Less counting. spin-offs and additional ask ourselves in the event that they bill, in the event that they export, in the event that they create expert jobs and in the event that they compete globally.
Catalonia will at all times want scientific excellence. But it additionally wants to remodel that excellence into business. Without this step, we’ll stay a rustic that invests closely in analysis however produces little in its transformation. A rustic that accumulates patents however solely licenses them to a minority. A rustic of nice concepts that by no means attain the market.
The excellent news is {that a} technological miracle is not vital. What is vital is a choice. A sustained political determination. A nationwide determination. And this time, we can’t afford to postpone it.