It is necessary to recruit business developers experienced in scouting academic inventions that bring “science to the market” and create real value through technology transfer. This is Sergio Abrignani suggestion, full professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences at the University of Milan and scientific director of the Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare (INGM).

Technology transfer not only in the number of patents

Abrignani emphasizes the lack of “the ability to transform good science into good innovation” in Italy. He explains, “We have normal good research as the Italian average, but few researchers, little philanthropy, few research agencies, little venture capital, and little research in pharmaceutical companies.“
“In my opinion, we need to seek out people who have already created value with technology transfer, and there, one cannot lie because the value of technology transfer can be expressed not so much in the number of patents but in monetary terms, true creation of value. We recruit business developers from abroad; they are fundamental figures who have succeeded in talent scouting and cherry-picking good academic inventions and have brought science to the market.“