PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP

REGINA SCIVOLETTO(1)

(1)Pharmaceutical Innovation Management Agency/UNIEMP

Every innovation involves technical, scientific and commercial knowledge and abilities.  Thus requires a partnership between researchers and companies. In Brazil, development of knowledge is mainly done in universities and research institutes.  In developed countries, science, technology and production maintain information flow between them making possible efficient development.  Legislation in these countries not only allow but foster this interaction.  On the other hand, in developing countries there are big barriers in these exchanges such that each activity is isolated from the other.To revert this situation it is necessary to implement: 1- entrepreneurship; 2- establishing communication between agents of each step; 3- proper infrastructure for each stage of development; 4- adopting proper legislation. The Permanent Forum for University-Company Relations - UNIEMP Institute - has, as one of its functions, a nucleus -  Pharmaceutical Innovation Management Agency (AGIF) - whose mission is to facilitate relations between the innovation and development agents in Brazil so as to lead the country to become a generator of new pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1992 by regents and an entrepreneur, it was created as a non profit organization, starting with technologies.  Ten years later, AGIF was founded due to a specific demand from the pharmaceutical industry.  This new group was designed to implement the steps 1 through 4 above.  To put in action cooperation between the segments, AGIF identifies potential candidates for each case, prospects scientific and technological opportunities, evaluates the market, helps the researchers in matters of intellectual property and contracts, participates in meetings and government commissions with the intent to assist and counsel the ministries involved in the  implementation of policies in the area of pharmaceuticals. The AGIF/UNIEMP also administrates research and development projects with incentive agencies.