From Research to Market: How to Turn Knowledge into Competitiveness

This conference addresses one of the key strategic challenges for Europe and Spain: transforming the excellent scientific knowledge they generate into industrial competitiveness, skilled employment, and technological leadership.

The conference analyzes the global race to transform knowledge into competitiveness, emphasizing that success depends not on isolated programs, but on the creation of integrated ecosystems that connect science, capital, talent, regulation, and industry. During the conference, I will share some practical ideas acquired during my time leading Rive Technology, the company I founded at MIT, and important lessons I have learned at the World Economic Forum, working with governments, businesses, and technology leaders. I will also share the various programs I have spearheaded to promote scientific entrepreneurship through the International Union of Chemistry (IUPAC) and my current experience as a visiting professor at Tsinghua University, China, one of the world's most dynamic innovation ecosystems.

Europe and Spain face the challenge of closing the gap between the knowledge they generate and the industry they need to sustain their competitiveness. It's not just about investing more in R&D, but about creating stable ecosystems that integrate science, industry, funding, regulation, and talent. The current moment demands bold and sustained decisions that allow us to overcome existing fragmentation and move toward a coherent strategy capable of translating shared objectives into initiatives with real impact.