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Facts and Trends Analysis 2006
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facts and trends 2006


The 2006 Edition of the Italian Biotechnology Directory evaluates the progress made by the Italian biotech industry in 2005 and provides an overview of the future trends.
The Italian Biotechnology Directory is becoming a popular means to assemble, update and analyze first hand data and opinions of participants and institutions in the field. The www.biodirectory.it portal, together with this Facts & Trends Annual Report, are essential tools for understanding the Italian scientific and industrial biotech potential, providing a realistic overview of established and emerging realities.

Italian Global Snapshot

The Italian economic system is very peculiar with national elements that distinguish it from the main international players.
The Italian Industry as a whole is characterized by:

• a predominance of Small and Medium Enterprises
• SMEs (about 90% of Italian companies): 4 million SMEs, representing 20% of all the SMEs in Europe
• a general perception - mainly by SMEs in traditional sectors
• that innovation only means modernization in machinery but it is not seen as a long term strategic activity
• a lack of large technology-based companies in sectors such as microelectronics, robotics, chemicals and biomedical technologies
• a limited propension to patent applications or to the efficient exploitation of existing patents in high-tech commercial activities
• a low percentage of students taking scientific and technical degrees compared to other European countries and to the US
• a shortage of financial support for R&D due to the insufficient participation of private investors. A venture capital market still needs to be developed, especially in the high technology fields
• public administration has introduced significant activities, but long-term vision (pluri-annual planning) is frequently lacking, so the measures taken are often uncoordinated.

The Italian biotech industry makes no exception to this scenario. Structural and cyclical factors affect innovation in its various aspects ranging from the general innovation
culture to more specific tools to support innovation development.
However, Italian public institutions have set up a framework where the biotech actors involved have built their own developmental models on the basis of their specific competitive advantages, taking stock of their assets, capabilities and resources.
The main elements of the framework are:
• the creation of public-private joint labs in strategic sectors to sustain new high-tech industries
• the establishment of Technology Districts
• the promotion of opportunities offered by participation to European technological networks financed by the European Commission
• incentive schemes targeting priority investment areas that could foster links between SMEs and research institutions.
As a result, over the years, regional and local authorities have gained autonomy in setting their own innovation goals and have put forward Local Innovation Plans to maximize the value of their peculiarity.

One size doesn’t fit all

The European Commission has highlighted the need for fostering the creation of and strengthening a European Research Area (ERA). This entity aims to support the creation of excellence and to reduce fragmentation in order to generate innovative technology to drive
economic growth. The regional dimension has become more and more important in improving European competition at a global level.
The attention and the support of the EU towards European regions has strengthened the commitment of local public administrations in:
• formulating research and innovation policies for local economic development
• promoting partnerships between public and private players
• integrating local initiatives with national and European standards: the joint action of local, national and European authorities is called on in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, to streamline efforts and to exploit synergies.
It is clear that, since every local entity is different, it is not possible to identify the optimal instrument for innovation policies, as local conditions always need to be taken into account to shape the policy itself.
However, the key challenges Italy has to face are:
• raising the potential of basic research institutions by reducing the fragmentation of laboratories and technology platforms
• enhancing of R&D policy planning: so far, policies in the field have had a short-term view without a coherent and strategic vision
• promoting of technology transfer initiatives
• setting up a policy framework that encourages continuous technological learning and R&D investments to enhance innovative strength and core competences
• overcoming the lack of multinational high-tech companies by finding alternative innovation drivers.

Technological Clusters

In this scenario, business and development models set up in other countries can not be adopted “as they are”;
they must be adapted to suit local peculiarities in order to enhance the assets in place.
The biotech ‘made in Italy’ is currently adapting the development pattern set up for production-oriented industrial districts, but uses biotech-specific drivers with more focused and coordinated investment incentive schemes. These are committed to reach a critical mass of scientific resources and basic infrastructures to attract new ideas and talents. This 2006 Edition of the Facts & Trends Analysis has focused on the main “bio”technological clusters of Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany and Friuli Venezia-Giulia, to better understand how they were set up, how they are evolving and how the Italian biotech will benefit from their growth. These clusters will constitute the foundations on which Italian biotech will develop. Hopefully, this will help to overcome the old strategy for growth based on pharma spin-outs that provided only short term results with inadequate long term outcomes.

Structure of the 2006 edition

In this edition we attempt to make a systematic analysis of what could contribute to success in this sector and what may be the barriers to further development. First of all, we try to give a realistic picture of Italian biotech within the world context.
We have taken into consideration the biotechnology clusters that have emerged as drivers of biotech in Italy.
Whilst this report concentrates on clusters we also provide a series of interviews from:
• renowned scientists, to understand how they envisage the trends for the application of cutting-edge science;
• pharma managers, to understand what could be done to improve relations between research centres and Italian companies
• Venture Capitalists, to understand what they think is the potential of Italian biotech
We hope that this timely analysis will be helpful to the public administration and other interested parties in determining and implementing future policy in Italy.

[Italian Bioclusters]

Apr, 08, 2006 An overview of Lombardy biocluster 2006

    


[Science in Italy]

Mar, 05, 2006 A cluster development approach is fostering the development of the biotech industry in Italy.

Apr, 08, 2006 Umberto Veronesi talks about basic research and more

Apr, 08, 2006 How would you describe Cancer research nowadays?

May, 02, 2006 What does plant biology have to do with health?

May, 02, 2006 How will Cardiology face future clinical and research challenges?

May, 02, 2006 What are the major trends of research and what are the promises for Neurosciences?

May, 02, 2006 Interview with Ennio Ongini, Vice President Research of NicOx.

May, 02, 2006 Stem cells are a very “hot topic” these days. What is the state-of-the-art in this field?

    


[Industry and Finance]

May, 15, 2006 Interview with Roberto Gradnik, President of Assobiotec

May, 02, 2006 Interview with Renato Ugo, President of National Association for Industrial Research (AIRI)

May, 03, 2006 Interview with Roberto Rettani, Chief Executive Officer of Bracco Imaging

May, 03, 2006 Interview with Carlo Rizzi, Head of Clinical Development of Boehringer Ingelheim

May, 03, 2006 Interview with Giampio Bracchi, President of Italian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AIFI)

May, 03, 2006 Interview with Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner of Sofinova & Partners (Paris- France)

Apr, 08, 2006 Interview with Michael Steinmetz, General Partner of Clarus Ventures (Cambridge, Massachusetts - USA)

May, 03, 2006 Interview with Graziano Seghezzi, Principal of Index Ventures (Geneva - Switzerland)