Carolina Aguilar. CEO of Inbrain Neuroelectronics, a leading firm in the development of intelligent implantable graphene systems for the treatment of neuronal diseases.
What can we learn from the health sector in your city of residence?
One of the things I admire most about Lausanne is their strategic positioning in the field of health and how they execute it through collaboration between different actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Lausanne has managed to create a context in which universities, companies, health systems, investors and government work together effectively to foster entrepreneurship. An inspiring example are innovation poles such as the Biopôle, which bring together companies, academic institutions, research organizations, hospitals and startups in the field of life sciences. Its objective is to promote collaboration, knowledge transfer and accelerate the translation of scientific research into clinical applications and innovative products.
The Biopôle offers a specialized infrastructure with clinical laboratories, clinical research facilities and collaboration spaces to bring innovative products to the patient in the shortest possible time and with the greatest safety, in addition to offering support services to companies and startups. Renowned institutions and companies in the field of biotechnology and medicine are located in the Biopôle.
How could the Lausanne experience be transferred to Barcelona?
Collaboration and strategic focus can speed the translation of research into clinical practice
Barcelona also leads in this regard. However, could we benefit from defining strategic lines of action and fostering greater collaboration between all these key actors around them? Collaboration and a strategic approach can accelerate the translation of research into clinical practice, supported by the clinical and regulatory framework. A recent example is the Swiss government’s decision to directly validate products previously approved by the US FDA in the country, which significantly speeds up innovation by reducing bureaucracy. Could we look for ways to speed up the regulatory validation processes in a safe way by supporting the aforementioned strategic lines? It’s easy to be inspired by the creativity and artistry of Barcelona, ??as well as the precision and ingenuity of Lausanne. We are all Barcelona and together we can contribute to renowned technological advances for the benefit of our society. We all play an important role in making Barcelona an exceptional place for entrepreneurship, and at Inbrain, made up of specialists from more than 14 different countries, we hope to continue contributing our grain of sand through innovative ideas.
