During her visit, the expert promoted the international projection of Chilean science and the development of advanced therapies with global potential.
The IMPACT Center and Cells for Cells received a visit from Gloria Olivier, an external consultant with extensive experience in technology transfer and biomedical innovation development, who traveled to Chile to advise research teams and identify advanced therapy technologies with potential for internationalization and transfer to the US market.
Between October 6 and 8, Olivier held individual meetings with each principal investigator (PI), during which they presented the progress of their projects, their market prospects, and the challenges remaining to complete their development. In addition to analyzing the commercial viability of the initiatives, the focus was on evaluating how the proposals align with real market needs through a comprehensive diagnosis that considered aspects such as intellectual property, scalability, product development, market entry strategy, human resources, and financing.
“It has been a fantastic experience to see what the center has to offer, what the university teaches, and, above all, the Chilean ecosystem. I didn’t understand what a basal center was, and now I understand it better. I think the interaction between scientists is very good; I think it is very fruitful,” said Gloria Olivier, who also expressed her desire for this type of collaboration to “expand to other regions of the country.”
Diego Segura, business developer manager and head of operations at the Cells for Cells GMP laboratory, highlighted the importance of this event: “Gloria’s arrival has been an enriching experience for training the human capital that is being developed here internally and understanding how projects can reach the market. In Chile, there is very good research, but that connection with industry is still lacking. Gloria’s experience helps us understand what the American or European market is really looking for and how we can focus our efforts to get there.”
Along the same lines, Fabián González Cataldo, project growth manager at the IMPACT Center, valued the consultation as an opportunity to broaden the teams’ strategic vision. “Gloria’s experience was valuable in that it provided a broader view of international biotechnology markets, focusing on the potential barriers that projects could face in advanced stages of development, and the extent to which the value proposition responds to a real need in the global market,” he explained.
The IMPACT Center and Cells for Cells highlighted the visit as a key opportunity to strengthen the international profile of Chilean science, promote new collaborations, and bring advanced therapies closer to the global market.
