Director of Development and Innovation UdeC toured the laboratories of the Biotechnology Center

For two days, the Director of Development and Innovation of the University of Concepción, UdeC, Jorge Carpinelli Pavisich visited the facilities of the Center for Biotechnology (CB) of the university, to talk with researchers, managers and other professionals who work in their different laboratories, who valued the instance.

In this regard, the director pointed out that “I am very grateful for the disposition and the special attention and time dedicated by the researchers during my visit and meetings. Its objective was to get to know them, learn from their work and make ourselves available as the Development and Innovation Department, to strengthen and systematize joint work, in order to transfer and impact the technologies that are developed there.”

Regarding the second of these days, the director of the Center, Rosario Castillo Happypointed out that “the director was able to learn about the laboratories, capacities and facilities of the Biotechnology Center, focused mainly on the area of ​​aquaculture biotechnology, in the line of research carried out by the center’s researchers in the aquaculture part and, in addition, other facilities : like the Bioenercel pilot plant which, although it is not part of the Center as such, does belong to the University of Concepción”.

In the previous visit, the Director details, the facilities “of the groups that carry out research in biotechnology applied to the forestry and plant sector had been covered. Both visits are part of a set of initiatives that the Department of Development and Innovation (DDI) has to learn, in the field and up close, the work of the research groups, the capacities of the University, but also and above all, of to be able to collaborate with these research centers, to be able to strengthen the links we have with the productive sector, which is what, as a center, we are also very interested in and that is what we are working on and now we want to do it precisely hand in hand with the DDI ”.

Marcela Verdugo Jaratechnological manager of the Center pointed out that “these visits are always very positive because the director can get an idea of ​​everything that we are working on in the Center for Biotechnology, of all the technologies, worth the redundancy, that are developed here and it is interesting that can also ‘put a face’ on the respective projects”.

“From the Department of Development and Innovation (DDI) they can support us in some initiatives, because, sometimes, we lack hands in the Center to be able, for example, to look for more sources of financing or investments to raise and take out these developments and that really come to fruition to the productive sector”, he added.

The technology manager explained that in her work she is in permanent coordination with units dependent on the DDI, such as the Transfer and Licensing Office (OTL) and the Intellectual Property Unit (UPI). “They are always supporting us, either with collaboration agreements with different companies, also supporting some services that we want to provide with companies, in the application for projects, they are always guiding and advising us regarding intellectual protection issues.”

And as an example, he affirms that regarding the Startup Science line (of the Ministry of CTCI) in which this year, two CB researchers were awarded funding, “we have also counted on their support in the creation of science and technology-based companies.”

had a similar opinion Cristian Gallardo-Escárate, Full Professor at UdeC, deputy director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research in Chile, Incar, and resident researcher at the Center for Biotechnology. “It is necessary to close gaps in how research is applied at the university, mainly in the postgraduate area. If finally the products are transferable, that conversation between the academic world and the company must be strengthened, even more so now, when so many discoveries are being generated”, affirmed the scientist.

“The incorporation of the director will undoubtedly help to better articulate all this university research to, for example, be able to focus or identify those products that are really transferable, that have a really potential impact, finally, in the different industries. and that, in some way, these transfers that are made have an economic benefit and capacity building, as a social benefit and, without a doubt, also an environmental one for the community”, he added.

Finally, Carpinelli pointed out that “we hope, from the Management, through the Transfer and Licensing office and the Business Incubator, to contribute to strengthening the transfer processes of the products or new processes that are developed in the Biotechnology Center. We have a challenge ahead of us in increasing licensing indicators, technology contracts or entrepreneurship through the creation of scientific-technological based companies”.