Speaker Details

Biography

Daniel Pagliano is Uruguayan. He has a degree in Agronomy Engineer from the University of the Republic, Uruguay (1985) and a Master of Sciences in Molecular Biology, from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium (1989). Director of the Institute of Applied Biosciences, School of Agrarian Sciences, Universidad de la Empresa (UDE). Director of Bioceltis S.A., company in the area of plant and animal genetics services. Director of the Latin American Federation of National Associations of Biotechnology Companies (FELAEB). Director of “Agro, Educación y Salud” (Agriculture, Education & Health), a NGO which promotes the uses of fruits and vegetables. Former Director and Founder of: • Quiniman S. A., animal biotechnology company producing bovine embryos. • Calister S. A., company which produces rhizobia inoculants (www.calister.com.uy). • Biotec Plaza S. A., company of the Zonamerica Holding which administrates Zonamerica Business & Technology Park (www.zonamerica.com). • REDBIO Foundation, a NGO which nucleates 650 biotechnology laboratories in Latin America (www.redbio.org). • Nidetec Holding dedicated to plant genetics, micropropagation and the production of commercial plantations of exportable fruits. Former Professor of Microbiology in the Faculty of Agronomy, University of the Republic, Uruguay. Former Scientist and Project Leader of the National Institute of Agricultural Investigation (www.inia.org.uy). Fellow from the Eisenhower Fellowship (www.efworld.org), the European Union and UNESCO.

Abstract

Biosciences and society: strategic alliances to build up prosperity

The advances in biosciences based knowledge and its uses in life industries are nowadays important in terms of being a key issue for any politics regarding social and economic development. Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”. Marketing is used to identify, satisfy and keep the customers. Taking in account this definition, the translation of the meaning of biotechnology-based opportunities to common citizens is critical to allow that a particular advance can reach the society with a desirable positive effect and to generate genuine prosperity. In Mercosur countries there are active policies towards the uses of biotechnology and the development of new products and services. The countries have legislative initiatives, economical incentives, human resources development, the boost of academia-government-private sector interactions and the support for regional biotech activities. In the agriculture sector, the results of using genetically modified crops are very positive considering social stabilization and welfare capacities in countryside areas, the increase of available new economic resources, the development of new biotechnology knowledge directed to global markets, and the increase of hope of local youth scientists and entrepreneurs. In the medical area, the advances in biotechnology are permeating the health systems and the development of new capacities, either at public or private organizations. The region has now available all the spectrum of biotechnology, from stem cells applications, recombinant human proteins production and there is an important list of developments with new drugs. All these achievements and others are a result of a long and a continuous process, where leadership, new skills and proactive attitudes are key factors to catalyze process in different synergic and complementary pathways. Many challenges are present now. The biotech regional sector in totum needs to anticipate the demands and wants of citizens. Every biotech product or service is a result of many different decisions which appears at a successful end story as unified in time and space. In this perspective, the capacity to growth strategic alliances, as to realize and to understand the momentum of biotechnology appears to be of a paramount importance.