Prof. dr. Hélder Santos

Hélder explains that to bring the business community into clinical practice and the university, you need to balance carefully. You do not only need to find the right niche markets but also be careful not to share your ideas too early in the process, out of enthusiasm, because they might not yet be ripe for further production.

Market analysis: another term that makes scientists uncomfortable. However, Hélder admits it is important nonetheless. When and how can our technology make a difference? For whom? Why is this unique and what sets it apart from the competition? The truth is that businesses are easier to get onboard or make interested as soon as you can show them a prototype of a medical device or a sensor, for example. Vaccines are more complex, though. A company prefers to receive results from in vivo testing as well. Therefore, we should make sure that we always have specific data available on, for example, immunological reactions and toxicity.

It is not always necessary to hand everything over to a company in order to make an impact. However, for a start-up you need another mindset: think like an entrepreneur. That is not that easy for most scientists. Hélder experienced that when he co-founded his own start-up. Scientists and clinicians are well aware that their research is valuable, but Hélder emphasizes that the research is especially valuable when it can be applied. This is much more common in the United States and emerging China, where scientists are more concerned about patenting, for example. In Europe, there is still a big hurdle to overcome, which he discovered in his past experience. HTRIC could also support scientists to enter into partnerships with companies for product development.

It is less complicated to match science and businesses, if a company comes up with a specific problem for the solution it is seeking. But then we have to prevent HTRIC from merely working on behalf of companies. It is necessary and complex to develop a balanced partnership. Hélder specifies that to obtain this, it requires specific people within HTRIC, for example, patenting writing support, a contact person for the companies, specialists in the field of intellectual property. But also people who know-how to set up a start-up or spin-out AND can find funding for it. Scientists are good at writing papers and grants, but probably less enthusiastic to write patents. Moreover, scientists do not have enough time for that.