Part 1 / B2B
R&D
Science 2.0 While Luxembourg’s research and development landscape is relatively young compared with European neighbours, the government is trying to push the country ahead with a revamp of its main players. Text: Aaron Grunwald | Photo: Luc Deflorenne (archives)
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Dr. Jean-Claude Schmit, CEO, CRP-Santé. Dr. Jean-Claude Schmit, PDG, CRP-Santé.
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any countries around the world are currently cutting back R&D budgets in light of the economic climate, but public research funding in the Grand Duchy has remained steady. In fact, state spending is forecast to be about 0.6% of GDP, or about 280 million euro in 2012 and 296 million euro in 2013, according to European Commission figures. Most of that budget is focused along two main axis: the University of Luxembourg, which opened in 2003; and the network of public research centres (CRPs), which launched in 1987. The university focuses on basic research and academic training, while the CRPs focus on applied research that can lead to economic innovation. Indeed, the CRP system is marking its 25th anniversary with big changes in store: the largest and third largest centres are merging; and the second largest plans to upgrade its portfolio of joint research projects. The CRP Gabriel Lippmann – with about 250 staff and an annual budget of more than 26 million euro, and which is best known for its work in materials analysis, environmental science and information technology – will combine with the CRP Henri Tudor – home to about 500 employees and an annual budget of more than 40 million euro, and which is equally known for its work in the same three disciplines, albeit with differing specialisations. With many overlapping fields of expertise, “synergy is one of the motivations for this fusion. The objective is to reach critical mass,” says Jean Pol Michel, business development director at the CRP Henri Tudor. The centres hope the bill mandating the merger will pass Luxembourg’s parliament by next year. In addition, the CRPs – along with the University of Luxembourg’s research facilities – will / 2012 — \4
relocate to a new super-campus in the south of the country. The 565 million “Cité des Sciences” in Esch-Belval will also host an incubator for innovative start-ups, and still have space for other private and not-for-profit organisations. The university has already begun to move into “Science City” – with the opening of new biomedical labs last autumn – and new facilities will continue to open at a steady clip between 2014 and 2019.
Healthcare projects At the same time, the second largest centre CRP-Santé – which has about 300 employees, an annual budget of more than 30 million euro, and works exclusively in the health and biomedical spheres – has vowed to step up its partnerships with other Luxembourg institutions. Among CRP-Santé’s other work, “we have built up competencies in clinical investigative research, which has really been a huge success,” its chief, Dr. Jean-Claude Schmit, reports. “This research brings basic knowledge which we develop in laboratories to clinical application; you could say to the patient’s bedside.” Schmit explains that “you need this kind of translational research if you really want to implement personalised medicine,” which was named as a national economic development goal in 2008. These days “we already collaborate a lot with, for example, the University of Luxembourg and
the IBBL,” the Grand Duchy’s biobank. “The aim is not to repeat things, not to acquire expensive equipment twice.” Beyond that, for example, “for the IBBL, CRP-Santé provides data collection services and obtaining informed consent of patients. The biobank provides us with services storing and analysing samples. So the collaboration can be really close.” Schmit also notes that the national health lab was recently spun out of the health ministry and is now a stand-alone public body. The development has spurred CRP-Santé and its counterparts to “reflect on how to reorganise the collaboration between the research organisations that work in field of healthcare.” He explains that: “With at least four players we have to see how we will work together, because we cover different aspects of the same field.” Schmit says some changes have been proposed, but discussions are ongoing. While some in Luxembourg have proposed that CRP-Santé and CEPS – the fourth largest centre, which conducts research in the economic, political and social sciences – should also merge with the others to create one large CRP, Schmit says that “in the short term” there have been no discussions with his centre about such a move, as there is little research overlap between them. “I don’t know what will happen in 10 years, [but currently] I see more of a very close collaboration between the four organisations that work together in the field of healthcare.” .