A delegation of public workers from Barbados and Guyana learn about the European technology transfer system

A delegation from Barbados and Guyana visited different types of facilities such as universities, research centres and companies in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. The aim of this initiative was to gain a deeper understanding of the configuration of the Technology Transfer system in the field of life sciences in Europe, with a special focus on the pharmaceutical industry.

This initiative is part of the “EU-Caribbean Cooperation Mechanism” programme, financed by the European Commission. The two regions cooperate on health resilience and vaccine production. It is a response to the strong interest expressed by Latin American and Caribbean leaders in strengthening their public health systems and boosting local manufacturing capacities.

During their visit, the delegation was able to exchange views on how to build bridges between research and industry on issues related to the pharmaceutical industry, preventive health and food safety. Particular attention was paid to public-private collaboration, to the acquisition and licensing of intellectual property rights, and to the creation of spin-offs, companies that derive from other main organisations that may be start-ups, which may be universities and research institutes.

The host institutions have stressed the importance of public-private partnerships, in terms of economic investment and the creation of the regulatory and public policy framework that makes these scientific advances possible. In addition, the importance of creating an environment of trust that fosters collaborative networks, as well as an enabling environment that motivates researchers to develop innovative products, was emphasised.

Thanks to exchange initiatives such as this one, contacts between the different institutions are strengthened, making future collaborations possible. During the week of work, several possibilities for collaboration between the Caribbean countries and the European technology transfer centres were identified, to promote research on vaccines, medicinal uses of plants, vertical agriculture, production of medicines, etc.

The delegation included representatives of public entities from Barbados and Guyana, with the participation of the Minister of Public Health of Guyana, Frank Anthony; the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Jonathan Reid; the Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of the West Indies, Damian Cohall and the President of Export Barbados, Mark Hill.