Page 6 - sme-report-2021

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Abstract

Openness in the life sciences
‘In the long history of
facilitates collaboration
humankind (and animal
kind, too) those who learned and increases innovation

to collaborate and improvise potential for industry

most effectively have
Undoubtedly, at one point in their career, every
prevailed.’ scientist will come across the work of Charles
Darwin and his groundbreaking discoveries
and theories. Already in 1859, he argued that
Charles Darwin collaborative use and reuse of existing resources
The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the enable novel outcomes. His work has been regularly
Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 1859 used to explain success through innovation and
entrepreneurship.

Two centuries later we have numerous examples
that prove this is true – scientific discovery
and groundbreaking products never appear on
green fields in isolation, they are underpinned by
1
knowledge generated by others .
But how can we foster these collaborative
environments and what are the key components
of success, particularly after years of digital
transformation in the life science sector?

Our research has shown that access to open,
free resources, such as data and software, is the
underlying basis for breakthrough discoveries,
scientific excellence and entrepreneurial
endeavours.

Translating zeros and ones into real-world
medicines, food or energy sources has become
a cornerstone of economic activity, promising
benefits for societies across the globe. To realise
this potential, we need to understand the economic
environment in the life sciences today and the
actors therein, including entrepreneurs that bridge
academia and industry, companies that use open
resources and public infrastructure providers that
engage in public-private partnerships.

1 Mariana Mazzucato. The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private
Sector Myths. (Penguin, 2018).