With reductions in public spending and cuts to funding for innovation, the current crisis – which is affecting not just Europe – could have serious consequences for a strategic sector like biotechnology. Stefano Bertuzzi, a member of Aspen Italia’s “Italian talents abroad” group and Executive Director of the American Society for Cell Biology, explained his views on the importance of biotech at the roundtable organized by the Institute on “Biotechnologies and Life Sciences in Italy”. The picture painted was of a sector that could serve as a driving force for growth in difficult times, including in Italy, where there is no shortage of excellence in scientific endeavor (as evidenced by the results of Aspen Italia’s monitoring of publications by Italian researchers appearing in the major international scientific journals).
Faced with a crisis and reduced public funding, what should be the approach as regards the biotech sector?
Times of crisis can be seen as offering great opportunities, and the biggest mistake in the current situation is to forge ahead with cuts across the board. The biotech sector is actually part of a very fragile system, in which government funding forms the bedrock for attracting private investment. The fiscal cliff debate in the United States at the moment could lead to cuts of 8% in funding for National Institutes of Health, which are the linchpin of American biomedical research. This is the wrong approach. In times of crisis, we should not cut everything by 8%. Perhaps some things should be reduced by 16%, some cut entirely, while others should be increased by 10%. Basically, you need to understand where the opportunities lie and invest so as to promote recovery.
What concrete steps could be taken? Does the American experience serve as a useful example for Italy too?
There are some very creative proposals for overcoming this funding squeeze. For example, there is talk of biotech bonds: government bonds that fund research. This a very innovative idea and I don’t know whether it would really work, but it is definitely worth considering. In more general terms, having worked for the Obama administration, I have embraced the President’s theory, which in very simple terms states that the way out of the crisis is to out-educate, out-innovate and out-perform others. The goal of excelling in research is certainly feasible for the United States, but is it for Italy? I’m not so sure, but given the vanguards of excellence that exist in the country, I think it’s a possible bet, as long as there is the courage to make clear choices, by for instance focusing on a few centers of true excellence rather than a bevy of mediocre institutions to keep everyone happy.
What could relaunch Italy as a competitive player in the biotechnology market?
I would like to put in a good word for the Italian secondary education system, which could become a competitive factor. I haven’t lived in Italy for many years, so I wouldn’t want to paint too rosy a picture of the country. But given my positive experience, I’m toying with the idea of sending my children to upper secondary school in Italy. The standard of Italy’s Liceo schools is very good, and Italian secondary schools would be a useful starting point to lay the groundwork for a system that reinstates the importance of scientific and technological education. Innovation is what will really pull us out of the abyss, but in addition to finance and technology, we need people in order to be successful. Of course, they can also be imported, with the ideal being a free market of talent. Being able to attract the talent needed in Italy is a wonderful prospect. But given the current difficulties faced by Italy’s innovation system, it would be better to concentrate first on nurturing and keeping the talent needed.
So is education one of the keys to excelling in innovation?
Yes, and I’m talking about a rounded scientific education. For the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, our keynote speakers are the current US Secretary of Energy and Nobel Prizewinner for Physics Steve Chu, and Arthur Levinson, chairman of Genentech and Apple Inc. In the belief that energy and technology issues closely affect biotech, we have decided to open up the symposium for free to all high school students in San Francisco and their teachers. In short, what we’re trying to do is to start with simple steps to bring science education closer to the people and not wait for them to seek it out. I believe that there is a great need for similar efforts to be made in Italy too.
