Which is the situation of Biolopol’H project today?
The project follows the steps marked from the beginning with the delays caused by the economic crisis that we are experiencing, especially with regard to urban investment. This makes some of the planned measures are delayed, such as the construction of the space where it will be transferred the Institute for Biomedical Research of Barcelona, (CSIC). But as regards the functioning of the Bio-incubator, despite the crisis, we have companies involved in training, biotechnology (VCN Biosciences or Barcino), but it is also true that crisis is slowing the interest of consulting firms to install new facilities.
What is the next challenge?
We have focused the territory, now it is time to inform the professionals about our activities and capture companies and investors interested in biotechnology. It is complicated because there is mutual ignorance on both sides. Lay a researcher, a clinician, an entrepreneur and an investor at the same table is like talking about sex of angels. On the one hand, we must ensure that researchers are increasingly aware that the results of their research, whether we speak about products or clinical procedures, are likely to translate to market and generate social and economic return. And on the other, we must convince specialized investors and companies that in spite of the risk and the fact that in the biotech industry the time to see benefits is higher than in other sectors, the final joint return can offset these difficulties.
What is your vision of Biopol'H partners?
They have a tremendous enthusiasm to develop the project Biopol'H but each one with their own vision. It lacks specificity when dialling the unitary way and we're working on it. In a union of forces that goes in the same direction. Biopol'H must not be an administrative structure over the existing ones; it must play the conciliator roll with the goal of make recognizable the Biopol'H area as a center of knowledge of basic and clinical science where patient is the structuring element.
What should be the role of IDIBELL within the Biopol'H?
IDIBELL is the research generator of all institutions that coexist at Biopol’H: University, Hospital and ICO, and it has been one of the first Spanish centers accredited by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, but we must not stop there. The IDIBELL's challenge is, with the CSIC and the IBEC, provide a spectacular potential in the field of research in Biopol'H space.
How do you imagine Biopol'H in 20 years?
I hope that IDIBELL will have its own building, and a business center focused on the topic of science parks ... In short, I think Biopol'H will be the reference area in biomedicine, and I hope in nanomedicine, in southern Europe. Even if all planned developments around it wouldn’t be finished, Biopol’H should have achieved its original proposal: The introduction of Catalan, Spanish and international biotech companies around the Gran Via de L’Hospitalet which has a enormous potential of knowledge generated by the University Hospital of Bellvitge, the University of Barcelona and the Catalan Institute of Oncology, and with the IDIBELL channelling the research. I am convinced that in two or three years we will get out of this crisis and in five years we will have more businesses in this area than we can imagine today. | 
