Latin America, and specifically Mexico, should promote the already existing base of researchers in the field of health sciences and biotechnology, by transferring the results of basic research to the field of experimental development, as well as its link with the industrial property protection system.
In the region, non-residents dominate patent applications; in 2018, Latin American residents were only granted 314 patents in this sector, which represents barely 0.8% of the world total.
In 30 years, Mexico has grown 3.5 times in patent applications, going from 5,061 in 1990 to 14,312 in 2020; however, in 1990 there were 661 applications from Mexicans, representing 13% and in 2020 1,132 were registered, that is to say 7.9%, with this the participation in technology via patent applications by Mexicans was reduced by 39%, this reality shows a clear relationship of technological dependence.
This low level of patenting is a direct result of the dissociation that exists between research centers and companies in the sector. This is related, on the one hand, to the few incentives that have historically existed in universities and research centers to patent, as well as to the positioning of pharmaceutical companies that have increasingly specialized in generic products, whose patents have expired. .
To reverse this reality, one of the aspects to consider is the necessary involvement of companies, universities and research centers, in the joint definition of the portfolio of projects, which meet criteria of social and economic impact, with the purpose of develop capacities in emerging technologies, associated with priority areas of the country, with a clear vision of financing long-term research programs in specific disciplines.
A second aspect could be the establishment of joint research capacity nuclei between universities and companies, focused on developing research projects with execution horizons and scales of resources that bring them closer to the production phases.
This requires two fundamental elements:
a) the creation of effective financial instruments, capable of attracting risk capital from an early stage and
b) have the necessary human and technical capacities for adequate management in compliance with health regulations, which guarantee that the medicines and medical devices that are developed or marketed meet the minimum safety, quality and efficacy requirements.
In this reality, universities develop knowledge with real potential for industrial application, although with a low level of appropriation by companies, which opens up a great possibility to reassess the concept that the protection of intellectual property must be a necessary condition. to support the transfer of university research results even from the moment a new research thesis is originated.
With this, the leakage of knowledge can be reduced, as well as the elimination of the subsidy of patenting processes of external entities that appropriate the knowledge generated by the universities.
The appropriation of knowledge has a profound impact on what we consider technological development and innovation.