FDI Report
Could you tell us about the advantages of mak- ing investments in an institution such as Cor- poGen?
Investing in a R&D institution can be econom- ically advantageous. New tax exemptions for donations to officially recognized research in- stitutions, put in place in 2011, can mean reduc- tions of up to 175% of the donation in the total tax costs for private companies. CorpoGen has long been officially recognized by Colciencias, the national funding agency, as one such private research centre. It is very common that a high percentage of biotechnology spin-offs or other private initiatives do not survive for more than 3-5 years after their foundation. This is due to factors such as the lack of economic viability and due to incorporation to larger companies or private universities. CorpoGen with its inde- pendent administration and unusual yet flexible scheme for networking with public and private research labs and with productive sectors has overcome various economic crises working in a high tech sector. Evidence of these concrete and measurable capabilities is, for example, our scientific and technological production. This is reflected in the proportion of our personnel with higher education degrees, in our R&D produc- tion, which is far above that expected for our rel- atively small staff. In addition, the quality of human resources and our independent and effi- cient decision-making process is a plus. All these factors along the years have been allowing us to develop the particular conditions for doing biotechnology in the region. Thus, investing in a biotechnology private research centre like CorpoGen minimizes some of the risks associ- ated with investing in initiatives that are not yet well-established, that lack the sufficient skills and expertise in the field, or that depend on agendas that may cater to other private or pub- lic interests.
Do you think that this investment in biotech- nology contributes to improve the social con- ditions of the country?
This can be seen at two levels. In the first place, this investment directly impacts on capacity building by training of graduate and postgradu- ate students. There is no doubt that local training is beneficial for our research and academic in- stitutions; it will ultimately contribute to society through scientific development and innovation. Some of the students that have trained with us have an excellent track record, achieving recog- nitions in top world-class scientific institutions
124 New European Economy
in Europe (i.e. Max Planck, Helmholtz) and the USA (i.e. Texas A&M, Washington, Dartmouth, MIT), that in turn boosts collaborations and worldwide networking that promote local ini- tiatives. In second place, investment has a broader impact through development of value- added products and services urgently needed in our nation. Through modern taxing schemes that stimulate private donations or partnerships for scientific initiatives and biotechnology devel- opments, economic inputs can lead to real prof- its that improve social conditions, science development, education and training. In Colom- bia there is a growing public awareness of the importance of investment in science and tech- nology. The next step is to evolve from words to actions and real commitments. This requires be- lieving and investing in science to improve local capacity in biotechnology, which I am con- vinced will lead the way on how to capitalize on scientific findings, transforming them into
successful products and services in a continu- ally demanding and competitive market. We are always open to new proposals for exciting ven- tures at the leading edge of biotechnological re- search with new interested scientific and financial partners and collaborators. We are fully committed to apply the regulations into force for scientific exploration, and we apply high stan- dards to maintain our research socially and en- vironmentally responsible and respectful. Therefore our sincere invitation:
to come and visit us in our labs at Carrera 5 No. 66A-34. 110231, Bogota, Colombia,
www.corpogen.org or to contact us at
corpogen@corpogen.org, Phone: +57 1 8050106, Fax: +57 1 3484607, Cell: +57 3124064841
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