Barcelona Science Park. Catalonia, Spain SYNTHESIS

Transcription

1 Barcelona Science Park Catalonia, Spain SYNTHESIS The Barcelona Science Park (Parc Científic de Barcelona - PCB) is an initiative aimed at consolidating the University of Barcelona s mission to interact with business and society. PCB is focused on life sciences and biomedicine. It brings together public research centres, larger companies, as well as the CIDEM-PCB Bioincubator (CIDEM is the Catalan Government s Centre for Business Development and Innovation) and supported spin-offs, all of which work essentially in emerging research areas of biotechnology, chemistry, pharmacy and nano-bio-engineering. The PCB is based on four pillars: - public research and development (R&D) aiming to build a critical mass, most notably in biomedical research, as well as fostering multidisciplinary thinking (social sciences, humanities, bioethics, public health etc.); - private R&D and innovation supporting and hosting business R&D and start-ups; - technological platforms linked to biomedicine, nano-bio-engineering and pharmaceutical chemistry; - innovation services including transfer of technology and know-how, business development, spin-offs, risk capital support services, consultancy services, patents centre, technological springboards networks. The PCB acts as an interface between science and industry providing business services such as risk capital and consultancy. The park offers researchers, entrepreneurs and society in general a setting equipped with powerful research support services, research staff, specialised technicians and agents to promote knowledge and technology transfer pointing to the creation of new companies. The grouping of public research centres and companies within the PCB brings basic research and product development on new drugs closer together, fostering a synergistic relationship between the public and private sectors that has lead to joint ventures and three mixed units of research. Today, more than 40 companies are located in the park s facilities, including five companies in the Bioincubator, who are all incorporated. Companies located in the park include not only smaller enterprises, but also large multinational companies such as Merck, Laboratories Esteve and Almirall. Two prestigious public institutes were created in the bosom of the PCB, the IRB institute for Research in Biomedicine, and the IBEC, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, with researchers from different public institutions. Approximately 42 new patent applications have been registered by entities based in the park since In 2007, the PCB is one of the most advanced science parks in Spain, and, in the words of the executive director, is on the map in a European context. The PCB has achieved this through concentrating on biology, chemistry and physics for life sciences. The convergence of public research centres and private enterprise, researchers from both private laboratories and public groups work in the same location, sharing the same scientific equipment, using the same scientific services and co-existing in the same lounges or restaurants. This enables synergies to arise (joint ventures, mixed scientific projects,

2 mixed laboratories etc.) and makes the PCB a pioneering reference on a national level in the promotion of knowledge and technology transfer. It also facilitates the establishment of new technology-based companies. There are several lessons to be learnt from the PCB experience. One is the importance of having a partnership based on reciprocal trust with the regional administration. This paved the way for strong support for the overall aims of the PCB from regional stakeholders. Another positive lesson is the decision to strive for critical mass in encouraging private and public R&D performers to locate in proximity to each other. The fact that the business sector believes in this approach and continues to support it should be emphasised. ERDF funding had a considerable kick off effect for the PCB. This funding was absolutely crucial for the setting up of the PCB as some 45% of the total cost of phase one ( ) came from this source. As a comparison, the ERDF funding only accounts for some 10% of the funding for the second phase of the science park Background information Country: Region: Project title: Key words: Spain Catalonia Barcelona Science Park, (PCB, Parc Científic de Barcelona) research activities and infrastructures; support for enterprises: business advisory services, start up, spin off, incubators Duration of project: (Phase I: , Phase II: ) Funding: total budget m ERDF 36.52m national budget 94.74m regional budget 12.25m private contribution 10.95m Others (future credits etc.) 22.89m ERDF Objective: Objective 2 2

3 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Barcelona Science Park (Parc Científic de Barcelona - PCB) is an initiative of the University of Barcelona that brings together public research centres, companies and spinoffs, observatories and the CIDEM-PCB Bioincubator (CIDEM is the Catalan Government s Centre for Business Development and Innovation), all of which work in emerging research areas of life sciences in chemistry, pharmacy, biotechnology and nanobio-engineering. Other multidisciplinary research areas are also present in the park, including the Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety Research, the Institute for Public Law, and some 20 research centres and observatories in areas such as welfare economics, economics and social affairs, women s studies, marine geo-science and computer linguistics. The mission of the PCB is to establish an effective knowledge and technology transfer process between the public and private sectors. Its objectives are to find a new role for the university with respect to commercialisation of research results, to establish an ideal setting in which to promote synergy between public research groups and business research and development (R&D) and innovation units as well as to strengthen technological innovation through basic research. The PCB encompasses public as well as private R&D and innovation activity. The Park offers notably: - laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art apparatus; - financial aid and tax-relief support (through CIDEM, the Catalan Government s centre for business development and innovation, and the Ministry of Science and Technology); - assessment and consultancy services related to setting up new companies, the protection of intellectual property and the patent system; - support in setting up of mixed research units and PCB-company mixed laboratories; - access to new markets through strategic agreements between European science parks. - participation in official research programmes; - training and assessment in the establishment and management of science parks directed to universities and technology transfer managers. The participating companies are the direct beneficiaries of the project. Companies based on the campus should be focused on biosciences and looking for synergies with research units. Not only SMEs but also large multinational companies as Merck, Laboratories Esteve and Almirall are located in the PCB. All the companies and business R&D units that moved into the premises ten years ago are still there, and several new ones have joined since. Fifteen companies presently at the PCB come from the incubator scheme or are spin-offs of research activities at the PCB. The five companies in the first Bioincubator are all incorporated and some (e.g. Oryzon Genomics) have grown significantly. In the 1990s, when the PCB started, it was a pioneer project initiated by a public university involving companies and researchers with a mission distinct from education and training (which were the main traditional activities of all universities in Spain at that time). Indicators for monitoring the development of the centre were introduced at a later stage. It was envisaged that offering state-of-the-art infrastructures and space for biomedicine research for both private sector research and research groups from the university, would create collaborative research projects and new synergies. Shortly after the PCB was fully 3

4 operational all available space was occupied. It is noteworthy that all the companies that took part in this project from the beginning are still involved. This proves that the business part of this triple helix initiative has been able to meet original expectations. In 2007, more than 40 companies and three mixed units of research are present in the PCB. Two prestigious institutes, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, have been created in the bosom of the PCB with researchers coming from different public institutes. Approximately 42 new patent applications have been registered by entities from the park since The expected annual budget for the PCB in 2007 was some 15m. This covers contracts with private companies as well as public projects and subsidies. About 2m comes from subsidies from the Catalan Government. Net income of about 1m come directly from private sector projects. The PCB point out that the economic results have been satisfying, but should improve from now on. The argument is based on economics of scale; now that the first important investments are made, the time to reap rewards has come. By 2010, the expectation is that the PCB will source its budget in equal halves from public funding and through private contracts. The expected impact was to strengthen Catalonia as a player in the field of life sciences research and to convince the Catalan companies in this area of the positive effects of working closely with the research community. As for community value added, it is clear the PCB would probably not exist if it were not for the EU funding. The EU funds represented a substantial part of the funding for phase one of the project ( ). Although the total ERDF share of the funding of the PCB may seem rather limited, close to 36.5m out of a total estimated 177m (roughly 20%), it was absolutely crucial for setting up the PCB. The total cost of phase one carried out between 1997 and 2005 was 66m, out of which some 39% ( 25.6m) was ERDF funding. It is important to underline that ERDF funding while still important only counts for some 10% ( 10.9m) of the funding for the second phase of the science park ( ), underlining the commitment of the region and the Member State to develop activities in the medium-term without further EU funding. 2. POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC CONTEXTS The R&D expenditure of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia accounts for nearly 23% of the total R&D expenditure in Spain and generates 35% of all Spanish patents. Catalonia has always been a national stronghold for biomedicine with several of the leading companies in this area (national and multinational) located in the region. Innovation policy in Catalonia focuses on three major conditions to create an environment conducive to innovation: 1) entrepreneurship and fostering the culture of innovation; 2) dynamics of science-based interfaces and 3) budgetary and fiscal policy for R&D and innovation. R&D and innovation policy is currently implemented through the first Research and Innovation Plan for Catalonia ( ), prior to this plan there were separate plans for research and for innovation. Among the main goals of the current plan are efforts to stimulate the private sector to set aside resources for R&D, the strengthening 4

5 of collaboration between universities, research centres and the business community, the competitive integration of Catalonia in the European Research Area and to consolidate the Catalan model of research, technology transfer and innovation. The Research and Innovation Plan has a total budget of 860m. The budget is controlled by the two principal executors of the plan: the Directorate General for Research of the Ministry of Universities, Research and Information Society, and the Ministry of Employment and Industry and Energy through its agency the Centre for Innovation and Business Development. One aim of the plan is to strengthen existing technological and research centres. Biomedicine and health sciences, the main research areas of the PCB, are singled out as one of five priority research lines. The commitment of the University of Barcelona to strengthening its role in the public sector by exploiting the benefits of its scientific and technological expertise to the benefit of society is one of the reasons behind the decision to set up the PCB. Traditionally, the Spanish universities handle technology transfer issues through their technology transfer office promoting contract research between companies and research groups. The PCB was set up as a new tool to strengthen technology transfer from the University of Barcelona and also to support the creation of technology-based new companies within the sector where the research carried out at the University of Barcelona has the greatest possibilities for generating economic growth. When the PCB was set up no structures similar to this existed in Spain, and no other university had ventured in this direction before. Other universities in Spain have since followed suit, e.g. other public universities of Catalonia are now modelling their research commercialisation structures on the PCB example. 3. IMPLEMENTATION 3.1. Project design and planning PCB was a bottom-up initiative from the University of Barcelona and the renowned researcher Màrius Rubiralta, who was inspired by experiences in other parts of Europe. He became the first Executive Director of the PCB and is now the Rector of the University. Since 2005, Fernando Albericio, professor in organic chemistry and group leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, acts as the PCB Executive Director. In September 1997, the President of the Catalan Government presided over the constitution of the Fundació Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB Foundation). The Spanish Government joined the agreement to set up the Parc Científic i Tecnològic de Barcelona a year later. By 2003 a collaboration agreement was signed between the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, the Higher Science Research Council (CSIC) and the Department of Universities, Research and the Information Society (DURSI) of the Government of Catalonia. These agreements allow the development and consolidation of the PCB project. Phase I ( ) consisted of an investment of some 66m, equally divided between construction works and installations, on the one hand, and infrastructure and equipment on the other. Phase II ( ) has seen investments of some 111m ( 79m in construction works and installations and 32m in infrastructure and equipment). Planning is now being carried out for Phase III. 5

6 Although the PCB at the outset was not part of any regional plan, the Catalan administration decided to support the project. Through the agreement with the Catalan administration, the regional ministry provides support for self-initiated research activities at the PCB. The Spanish Government provided additional support through credits to promote the creation of science parks, and there is some minor funding from other EU funds, principally for programmes to attract eminent researchers. There is also some funding from the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), a foundation jointly promoted by the Catalan Government through the Ministry of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise, and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI). However, the university is obliged to guarantee harmonious development of all research areas and groups and in order to strengthen the capacity of such high potential groups new structures had to be created. The next step taken was to study science and technology parks around Europe that were also emphasising innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, amongst them the University of Helsinki. However, the park as a new instrument of the University of Barcelona with a clear mission to support biomedical research, required significant financial backing given the scale of investment required to attract and retain top research teams in this highly competitive field. According to the project team the risk involved in setting up this pioneer project was limited. In a worst-case scenario, according to the executive director, the companies would have opted not to join in the adventure and not re-locate to the new premises. If that had occurred, there would still have been certain gains in the form of know-how and researchers with greater capabilities. As for the Catalan administration, this was a project they believed in from day one. It was not seen as a risk, but as incremental development and the pursuit of constant excellence as one ministry representative described it. An independent consultancy (ANEP) carried out an evaluation in the late 1990s, which pointed to life sciences, biotechnology and chemistry applied to the biosciences as the areas where the University of Barcelona was strongest. This was already known in Catalonia, but nevertheless helped when implementing the PCB project. It is clear that the Catalan administration saw the possibilities early on and started promoting the implementation of similar projects in other public universities Management, monitoring and evaluation system The PCB Foundation, a private legal entity initially made up mainly of public institutions, was created to oversee the implementation of the PCB. The board of the foundation works closely with a scientific committee, which offers advice and evaluates and monitors the research conducted in the park. The board elects the executive director of the PCB, a position that has always been held by a researcher. During the first phase of the PCB, the quality and importance of the public research groups and, above all, the companies that supported the new projects by locating their R&D departments in the park were seen as indicators of success. Internally, a constant evaluation of the services provided is carried out in order to guarantee total client satisfaction according to their scientific demands and requirements. 6

7 As Phase I of the park was being completed, a strategic plan for the period was elaborated. A new plan for is currently under development. The mission of the PCB continues to be an organisation offering adequate opportunities for research excellence to the public and private sector and facilitating innovation know-how and technology transfer, as well as new synergies between researchers. An additional mission in the new plan is to foster scientific culture in Catalan society. The phrase from knowledge towards innovation sums up the PCB concept. The PCB wants to be identified as: 1) a cluster of research excellence in life sciences open to both companies and public institutions; 2) a provider of technological platforms of outstanding added value; 3) a pioneer in fostering and promoting science in society and 4) an appropriate environment for the development of technology based companies. In order to identify and classify the indicators of the evaluation and follow up of the project, four main strategic areas were chosen: research, innovation, technological offer and research in society. Some of the indicators used for these areas are the following: 1) Research: the number of research projects achieved per year; number of national and international scientific publications; number of new researchers and new jobs created in general in the park; number of new companies set up in the PCB. 2) Innovation: the number of joint ventures or mixed units between the R&D department of a private company created; number of patents applications and patent licences per year in the park; and increase of newly created companies located in the PCB facilities and in the bioincubator. 3) Technology offer: the number of projects that the technology platforms of the PCB participate in per year; number of publications; number of users, personnel etc. the results of the enquiries obtained for the services and equipment provided to users etc. 4) Research in society: the number of seminars; number of schools that visit PCB; and the media impact of the project among others. Critical mass and proximity were important elements when setting up the PCB. The director describes the geographical concentration of all the different parts and actors of the PCB as very important: You don t need a car to go round it! Although the PCB today covers some 85,000 m 2 and continues to grow, it is still geographically concentrated. Two main buildings around which the centre was first constructed were connected and became part of a campus-like setting in phase II. This philosophy also underpins the plans for phase III. Another distinguishing element is that all the centres and research groups at the PCB are autonomous law entities, giving them independence of action. In the first phase of the PCB project, the companies entered fully equipped premises, and paid rent. These conditions have changed in phase II, with the PCB offering an empty shell that the business R&D and innovation units have to buy equipment for themselves Governance: partnership and leadership The PCB Foundation is made up of five institutions: 1) University of Barcelona: the director and leader of the project since the beginning. 2) Bosch i Gimpera Foundation: an entity created by the University of Barcelona to promote technology transfer to the business world for the use, diffusion and 7

8 commercialization of this technology. The foundation aims to make outcomes and knowledge produced by the PCB and the university s research groups and institutes, departments and services available to companies, institutions and society as a whole. The foundation has the ambition to foster an entrepreneurial culture and to promote the creation of technology based (spin-off) enterprises to be located in the facilities of the park. All contacts between research groups at the PCB and companies are channelled through this foundation. 3) The Catalan savings bank Caixa Catalunya provided a very important financial viability image to the project and facilitated the whole funding process. The contribution of the Caixa to the project is a credit of 12.2m to Phase I, and a credit of 15m to Phase II. The Caixa also assigned a capital subsidy of 1m for Phase II, and there is a current subsidy (to cover financing expenses) of 1.4m. The Caixa also provides economic support to activities for diffusion of science towards society. 4) The Autonomous Government of Catalonia's Education and Universities Department has a direct implication and follows up the evolution of the project. The participation of this department guarantees that the PCB is a main actor in the innovation strategy and investment plans of the regional government. 5) The Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC): the prestigious Institute of Molecular Biology of the CSIC is located in the PCB, providing critical mass of researchers and evident added value to the park. In addition, the Ministry of Education participates in the project from 2007 in a similar way to the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, but on a national level. The public-private cooperation context of the PCB has made it possible to develop a new form of technology transfer consisting of mixed research laboratories where costs are shared by PCB and companies. Annually renewable two- to five-year agreements establishing these laboratories specify that the costs of the premises and the performing R&D is paid for by the companies, whereas the management, preparing contracts and technical installations are paid by the PCB. According to the PCB's Executive Director, all companies who join the PCB initiative are motivated by the value added gained by sharing the premises with the other participants. The German company Merck is a good illustration of the synergies: its Spanish subsidiary decided to move into the PCB and claims to have strengthened its position within the Merck organisation through co-operation in the PCB. From the outset, the business sector representatives have been the most active participants in the PCB project Innovative elements and novel approaches to implementation The most innovative element of the PCB experience is the connection between companies and the public sector. The project design, planning and management included elements different from common practice in the simple sense that it has been the first initiative of this type in Catalonia and, indeed, in Spain. Researchers from both private laboratories and public groups work in the same place, share the same scientific equipment and services and co-exist in the common lounges or restaurants allowing synergies to arise (joint ventures, mixed scientific projects, mixed laboratories etc.). This pioneering experience has become a reference at a national level. 8

9 The PCB supports activities aiming to optimise commercialisation of R&D results (e.g. licensing agreements, wider application, transferability, communicating results to support the policy making process). This approach includes the following services and activities: - assessment on the creation of new companies, the protection of intellectual property and the patent system in coordination with the business division of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation; - access to new markets through strategic agreements between science parks; - participation in official programmes; - access to information on projects similar to the PCB and bibliography related to innovation, technology transfer and science and technology parks; - financial and fiscal support for the companies hosted by the PCB through the Centre for Innovation and Business Development (CIDEM) and the Ministry of Science and Technology; - diffusing scientific knowledge to secondary school students and society at large: the PCB arranges research practices for undergraduate students on its own premises, and works actively in bringing researchers and society closer by carrying out activities to promote and diffuse scientific knowledge Key implementation obstacles and problem-solving practices An important obstacle for development has been the scepticism from the scientific community about the value of joint projects with private companies. This has been handled by showcasing good examples of collaborations. According to several PCB representatives, the attitude from researchers is starting to change. There is a general awareness of the importance of collaboration between academia and industry. Another obstacle was the fact that some researchers did not believe in the benefits of multidisciplinary research. There was a clear risk from the start that the PCB would become little more than a part of the University of Barcelona. The people behind this initiative tried to prevent this scenario. They had good support from the Catalan administration, which channelled funds from the European Union and other funders directly to the PCB. 4. INNOVATION RESULTS The concentration of public research groups and companies from the pharmaceutical, biotech and fine chemistry sectors, means that basic research and the discovery of new drugs are genuinely brought together, thus enabling synergies to be developed. These synergies frequently lead to the creation of mixed research units, which provide society at large with a wide knowledge base that can be accessed through subcontracting research and/or services, development of joint laboratories, commercialisation of patents, development of technology-based enterprises and spin-offs. Currently, there are three mixed laboratories in the PCB based on an agreement between a technological platform of the PCB (representing the public sector) and the R&D unit of a pharmaceutical company. These three companies are Almirall, Prodefarmam Lilly, and Pharma Mar. Each unit develops a project using the scientific infrastructures of the PCB with personnel from both entities. 9

10 The PCB now hosts more than 40 national and international R&D companies and business R&D and innovation units and spin-offs. In the period , the bio-incubator at the PCB was co-financed by the Centre for Innovation and Business Development of the Catalan Ministry of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise. Through an agreement for the period with the Santander Bank and the University of Santiago de Compostela an international network of university incubators will be developed with the bio-incubator of the PCB and the business incubator at the University of Santiago de Compostela as well as e.g. the University of São Paulo (Brazil), the Catholic University of Chile and the Technology Institute of Monterrey (Mexico). The synergies created by having several research centres in the environment of the PCB have brought new projects financed by the central Spanish government through the CENIT programme set up in These projects involve academic units (represented by the PCB technological platforms) and the private sector (companies located in the PCB facilities), mixed unit laboratories (PCB technological platforms and the R&D department of a pharmaceutical company not always located in the park) and additional risk capital for newly created biotech companies (Oryzon, Advancell, Era Biotech etc.). The results of these activities include the improvement of the area where the PCB is located, creation of new businesses as well as wider positive regional impact on the scientific and industrial development. The most innovative element of the PCB is the connection between companies and the public sector. The PCB is part of a local innovation system promoted by the University of Barcelona with the support of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation and the Catalan savings bank Caixa Catalunya. The University of Barcelona describes the innovation system in this way: The University of Barcelona was the first university in Spain to create these different structures in order to support and reinforce the innovation system. No other university at the moment uses such an element for this purpose. The PCB is the element that concentrates conceptually, and in one single space, all these agents facilitating and promoting business collaboration with the academy. The Park is actively involved in transferring and disseminating good practices to other universities and technology transfer managers through training and assessment in the establishment and management of science parks. The PCB has organised training courses on science and technology parks aimed at innovation agents on demand. In the long term, the PCB aims to enhance regional growth through establishing new economic activities based on new technologies. It creates favourable conditions to develop the ability to recognise the value of external resources through direct contacts and business services, and is committed to promote science-based innovative industry. PCB also fulfils the university s task to interact with society by transferring scientific and technological knowledge to society and thereby contributes to improved quality of life. 10

11 5. SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSFERABILITY 5.1. Sustainability The PCB celebrated its 10 th anniversary in September 2007 and still keeps growing. The total ERDF share of the funding of the PCB will be close to 36.5m out of a total estimated 177m (roughly 20%) when the on-going second phase is finished. It is interesting to note how the importance of this funding has evolved over time. The ERDF funding was absolutely crucial for the setting up of the PCB as some 39% (nearly 26m) of the total cost of phase one ( ) came from this source. However, the ERDF funding only accounts for some 10% of the funding for the second phase of the science park (according to the estimated budget which increased some 60% compared to the previous period). After the initial phase the PCB has managed to diversify its financial base and is not dependant on ERDF funding. At the same time, officials from the Catalan Government point out that the ERDF funding cycle could be extended beyond the current 2008 deadline. The science park in principle could receive funding from this source again and this would be forthcoming without significant difficulties should the PCB need it Transferability All other public universities in Catalonia have started or are about to start their own scientific parks, and the Catalan administration has used the PCB as a blueprint. The people in charge at the PCB consider that the structural model of co-operation within the park is transferable. There are other individual aspects that could be transferred as well, but that would depend in the specific characteristics of the region. Another interesting case of transferability is the programme CENIT ( Consorcios Estratégicos Nacionales en Investigación Técnica, Strategic national consortia in technological research) set up in 2006 by the central Spanish government. The objective of this programme is to promote public-private collaboration in R&D and innovation and for a four-year-period, the central government will allocate 200m as subsidies for a total of 16 projects of research excellence. This programme is, according to the founder of the PCB, directly inspired by the success of the scientific park in Barcelona. 11

12 6. CONCLUSIONS: MAIN SUCCESS FACTORS Support from the public sector There was a clear risk from the start that the PCB would become little more than a part of the University of Barcelona. This was something that the people behind the project were aware of, and tried very much to avoid. In this, they had good support from the Catalan administration, which channelled funds from the European Union and others directly to the PCB rather than to the University of Barcelona. Critical mass and proximity The PCB has brought together several research units, amongst those two CSIC (the Higher Science Research Council) centres, in one small area. The everyday interaction is crucial. Private sector participation The business sector believes in this approach and is more than satisfied with the results obtained. All the companies that joined PCB in its initial stage are still there. Partnership based on trust There is a high level of trust between the researchers and the civil servants from the Catalan government. This common ground has obviously been a positive element in creating the foundations of the success. Other factors were learned to be of key importance for the project during its final stages or after its completion. Some points or lessons learned for the future are the following: Highlighting good examples Far from all scientists are convinced that projects with private companies can be useful to their on-going research. In the PCB, this has been addressed through 'preaching with good examples'. Attitude from researchers is starting to change, and there is now a general awareness of the importance of collaboration between academia and industry. Stakeholders from the sector The steering group should be made up of professionals from the sector targeted. This improves commitment and is a better guarantee of relevance of individual projects and initiatives. Boosting business sector participation According to the executive director, a 60:40 distribution between companies and academic groups, that is, a larger proportion of representatives from the business sector would have been better. It would have made the PCB even more dynamic. 12

13 PROJECT CONTACT DETAILS Contact person Name: Position: Organisation: Fernando Albericio Executive Director Parc Cientific de Barcelona Address: Baldiri Reixac, Barcelona Telephone: Fax: Project s website: direccio@pcb.ub.es The information contained in this case study is up to date as of: October 2007 This case study has been prepared by Tommy Jansson in the framework of a study carried out by Technopolis Group on behalf of the European Commission. The contents and views expressed in this case study are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the European Commission. 13