Names, funds and founders of the Biotecnopolo di Siena
The Council of the Biotecnopolo di Siena Foundation has taken office: who strongly wanted it, who are the members and who appointed them, what they will do and how much funding they will receive
It has been talked about for some time but now it is starting to take shape. The council of the Biotecnopolo Foundation of Siena took office yesterday, strongly supported by the secretary of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta.
The institute, as a note from the Ministry of Health explains, will also carry out public health functions through the National Anti-Pandemic Center, which is part of the 437 million investment of the NRP dedicated to the creation of clinical-transnational networks of excellence.
THE FOUNDERS
Founding members of the Biotecnopolo are the ministries of Economy and Finance (Mef), of Economic Development (Mise), of Health, and of the University and Research (Mur).
The Foundation's statute, published in the Official Gazette at the end of August, also provides for the participation of the Toscana Life Sciences Foundation (Tls) as a “new founder” through the stipulation of a conventional deed.
WHERE IT WILL OPERATE
The new center, according to the statute, “has its legal and operational headquarters in Siena and can establish secondary offices, representations, delegations and offices in Italy and abroad”.
HOW MANY FUNDS WILL THE BIOTECNOPLE RECEIVE
For the Biotecnopolo, as Start anticipated some time ago, 9 million euros are planned for 2022, 12 million for 2023 and 16 million for 2024.
WHAT FUNCTIONS WILL IT HAVE
Also from the details provided by the statute, it is clear that the Biotecnopolo, in addition to promoting and developing applied research and innovation in the field of biotechnology, life sciences, will also perform the functions "research, development and production of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies" , precisely through the anti-pandemic hub – to which, according to the provisions of the complementary actions of the NRP, the bulk of the funding will go: 340 million euros between now and 2026.
THE TOP OF THE BIOTECNOPLE AND WHO APPOINTS THEM
As scientific director, on the proposal of the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, Professor Rino Rappuoli, scientist, discoverer of vaccines against meningococcus B and C and also that against whooping cough was appointed by the Council.
Rappuoli, who is also GSK Vaccines Chief Scientist and Head External R&D, will leave this post shortly after the launch of the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, which has completed Phase 3 and will be subject to clearance.
Professor Silvio Aime, former full professor of Biotechnology in Turin, was appointed president by the Foundation's Council.
Aime, together with the deputy head of cabinet of the Mef, Lucia Calabrese, and the manager of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa), Gianluca Polifrone, had been appointed with the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers on 7 September 2022 and yesterday they accepted the office as members of the Board.
The professor and Nobel Prize winner Giorgio Parisi, appointed on the recommendation of the Minister of Health, is also in the Council.
THE TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
The personalities indicated by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of University and Research and the Ministry of Economic Development are members of the Technical-Scientific Committee.
THE MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE DESIGNATED BY THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
The dicastery led by Speranza has appointed Franco Locatelli, President of the Higher Health Council, as members of the Technical-Scientific Committee; biochemistry and Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier; the head of department of the Institut Pasteur of Tunis, Henda Triki; and the professor of the department of infectious and tropical diseases at the University of Munich, Michel Pletschette.
THE MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE DESIGNATED BY THE MUR
Mur, on the other hand, has appointed the virologist and member of the US National Academy of Sciences, Barney Graham, as members of the technical-scientific committee; the Professor of Infectious Diseases and International Health at University College London, Alimuddin Zumla; the researcher at the head of the Evolution and Viral Transmission Unit of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Gabriella Scarlatti; and Luisa Bracci, professor of biochemistry at the University of Siena who had indicated it.
THE MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE DESIGNATED BY THE MISE
Finally, the members designated by the Ministry of Economic Development: the president of Aifa, Giorgio Palù, and Claudio Bandi, professor of the biosciences department at the University of Milan.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/nomi-fondi-e-fondatori-del-biotecnopolo-di-siena/ on Fri, 23 Sep 2022 09:44:54 +0000.