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The 6th edition of the Summer School on Medicines (SSM6) closes

By 11 de July de 2014November 18th, 2020No Comments
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This year´s edition featured the participation of 49 students and 30 experts from Canada, Switzerland, France and Spain.
 11.07.2014

The 6th edition of the Summer School on Medicines (SSM6) closes

Today, ended the 6th edition of the Summer School on Medicines (SSM6) that took place between 6 and 11 July at the Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB). SSM6 was organized by the PCB, Biocat, CataloniaBio, University of Barcelona, University Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, CAPTOR Project–Investissement d'Avenir, INNABIOSANTE Foundation – Toulouse Cancer, University of Montreal, University Drug Research Group (GRUM), InnDEA València Foundation, University of Bordeaux, University of the Balearic Islands, Biotech Cluster of the Balearic Islands (BIOIB) and Campus Vida. This initiative is part of the European project Transbio Sudoe which aims to promote research in the field of health sciences and to transfer the outcomes to the market.


This year´s edition featured the participation of 49 students: 21 from Catalonia, 4 from Valencia, 3 from the Balearic Islands, 1 from Madrid, 7 from Galicia, 1 from Portugal, 6 from France and 6 from Canada, all from the academia, research and the pharmaceutical industry. For one week, more than 30 experts from Canada, Switzerland, France and Spain, provided comprehensive training to the participants on all phases of drug discovery and development -from the inception to arrival to the market-, covering aspects as relevant as business development, financing, public-private partnership and open innovation.

The SSM6 program featured several hands-on case studies, where students worked in groups, lectures and a visit to the Almirall´s R&D center, which was very useful to consolidate theory concepts. During this visit, the students were able to see first-hand the complete research process, from basic research of the structure and molecule compositions to the preclinical testing phase and the machinery of the drug´s support base.

“In this edition, the SSM has definitely become one of the most innovative and results-oriented programs offered worldwide, as it covers the entire value chain in drug development and does so through the experience of leading research centers, management and business knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and the vision of governmental institutions. The contribution from teachers and students created a most favorable international setting for the exchange of experiences and knowledge, which has evidenced the need for public-private partnership to revalue research in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry”, explains the coordinator of SSM6´s Scientific Organizing Committee, Dr. Jordi Quintana, director of Business Development and Innovation at PCB and head of the Drug Discovery Platform (PDD-PCB).

“This year we have been honored to have the Tranbio Sudoe project as a partner, who provided financial support to more than half of the students. This has helped us to bring together this group of 49 international students who, thanks to the working methodology fostered by the participation and interaction, have been able to benefit from this training”, said Jordi Fàbrega, coordinator of the SSM6 Organizing Committee and director of Business Development at Biocat.

Open Innovation Industrial Symposium

Under the SSM6, Thursday, July 10, the Open Innovation Industrial Symposium was held at the auditorium of PCB, which aimed to create a space for debate and reflection on the main key points of the new model of open innovation applied to the process of drug discovery and development. This open session offers participants the opportunity to interact with 30 experts from the sector.

The symposium -opened by the Dr.Quintana- started with a lecture by consultant Marc Ramis Castelltort, CEO of Tech and Business Innovation (TBI), a renowned expert in connecting innovation enterprises with those market´s needs. One aspect that Marc Ramis emphasized in his speech is that the biopharmaceutical sector calls for an urgent change of mentality. “The days when research and innovation could be developed in an isolated, individual manner are over. Research has to be conducted in collaboration, in a setting that embraces both public and private institution”, said Ramis.

The round table was moderated by Ignasi Biosca, CEO of Reig Jofre Group and chairman of CataloniaBIO and featured the participation of a panel of experts that included Antonio Gómez, senior scientist at Janssen-Cilag; José Julio Martin-Plaza, director of Screening and Characterization of Compounds at GlaxoSmithKline; Carlos Plata, scientific director at Esteve; Carme Verdaguer, CEO of the Bosch i Gimperra Foundation (FBG), and José Vicente Terencio, Operations Officer at Gri-Cel.

The seventh edition of the Summer School on Medicines (SSM7) will be held in Montreal (Quebec) in June 2015.