#BIOSPAIN2023 Interview | "Open Innovation Test Beds (OITBs) are inherently multinational instruments"

​​​​​​Biotechnology is present in all aspects of our lives, although many times we may not be aware of it. It positions itself as a deep tech that is transforming our world through various technologies that have a positive impact on health, social and economic well-being, and the sustainability of the planet. Innovation is the cornerstone of all advancements made by biotechnology, and its promotion and development are essential for discussing the future. In this regard, in recent years, the concept of "Open Innovation Test Beds (OITBs)" has gained increasing importance.

This refers to a group of entities that provide common access to physical facilities, capabilities, and services required for the development, testing, and scaling of nanotechnology and advanced materials in industrial environments. The current state of OITBs raises multiple questions that we address in this interview with Ángel del Pozo, Deputy Manager of Programs Strategy at Biokeralty Research Institute and Scientific and Technical Manager of Safe-N-Medtech, a Bronze Sponsor of BIOSPAIN 2023, the international benchmark event in the biotechnology sector that will be held in Barcelona from September 26 to 28.

AseBio: What are OITBs?

Ángel del Pozo. OITBs are open innovation platforms promoted by the European Commission through various projects funded by the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programs, focused on providing knowledge and advanced services to innovative companies in various sectors, including medical technologies and nanomedicines.

AseBio: Why are they gaining increasing international relevance?

Ángel del Pozo. OITBs are inherently multinational instruments, encompassing expertise and relevant facilities across Europe. They focus on highly innovative sectors, and in the case of Safe-N-Medtech, they provide crucial support to developers in addressing European regulatory changes (MDR, IVDR), including early advice, regulatory assessment, physico-chemical characterization, in vitro and in vivo evaluation, scaling, clinical research, and business development support.

AseBio: What do OITBs mean for your company?

Ángel del Pozo. In the case of Biokeralty, the OITB Safe-N-Medtech has allowed us to accelerate the transfer of developments based on the application of nanotechnology in healthcare, for the future benefit of patients, as well as to establish a network of partners at the European and global levels, with the other 27 beneficiaries of the project. We are also participating in a second OITB, Convert2Green, which will help make the value chain processes in healthcare more sustainable.

AseBio: What are the main barriers you have to overcome?

Ángel del Pozo. The main barriers arise from the need to reconcile the interests of all partners and be able to create a single entry point that integrates all the platform's services and capabilities. Other critical elements include safeguarding intellectual property, existing standards, and regulatory requirements, which are especially relevant in the application of nanotechnology in healthcare and medical devices.

AseBio: How can your work help drive innovation in the biotechnology sector?

Ángel del Pozo. The entire concept of OITBs, in general, and Safe-N-Medtech, in particular, is focused on promoting the translation and adoption of innovations in various fields. Offering knowledge, consulting, and services in an integrated manner and through a single entry point, tailored to the client's specific needs (through cluster networks, such as CEBR, for example), reduces development and validation times and costs, as there is a comprehensive development plan from the initial stage, guided by technology and regulatory assessment elements.

AseBio: What is your vision for the future?

Ángel del Pozo. Our vision and ambition are to offer this single entry point that can operate in the market as a new entity capable of carrying out the mentioned activities, responding to the demand we have detected from companies involved in the project and others contacted through around thirty interviews with innovative companies in the field of innovative medical technologies.

AseBio: What do you expect from your participation in BIOSPAIN 2023?

Ángel del Pozo. For the future success of the platform, it is essential to make ourselves known and gather feedback from companies about our value proposition, as well as positioning ourselves for potential clients interested in our services.