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THE CREATION OF AN R&D POWERHOUSE ENRIQUE CABRERO Director General of CONACYT
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Q: Last year, you mentioned the creation of a consortium
Q: The US is Mexico’s largest scientific partner. How would
of translational medicine. What are its main objectives?
a souring relationship between both countries impact
A: The goal of the consortium is to bring together many
Mexican R&D?
different projects to promote the advance of translational
A: The week after the last US presidential elections took
medicine. Through the consortium, institutions that
place, I received numerous calls from university presidents
perform high-quality research or engage in technological
stating that no political changes would affect their
development can work together with companies. Our
relationship with us. In fact, they want to intensify student
partners are UNAM, its research centers and the National
exchanges and other collaborative projects. We are also
Institutes of Health. The latter have the highest research
seeing an increasing number of countries willing to perform
productivity in terms of papers published in the best
R&D in Mexico as they see great potential for clinical trials in
scientific journals in the world.
the country’s public healthcare institutions, such as IMSS or ISSSTE. For instance, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Q: How can CONACYT attract more research projects and
have shown great interest in increasing collaboration with
companies to Mexico?
IMSS as the latter has strengthened its research capabilities.
A: Our tax incentives program attracts private investment
The large population of patients in these institutions
in R&D. Through this program, companies present a project
provides great opportunities for clinical trials.
that is evaluated by experts from SHCP and CONACYT. If approved, the company is granted a 30 percent tax credit
Q: How is CONACYT extending its collaborative links to
to be used within the next 10 years. This project is gaining
other areas in the world?
strength among large and medium-sized companies,
A: At the beginning of Peña Nieto’s administration,
which are already generating their own R&D infrastructure
CONACYT lacked the resources to implement an active
in Mexico.
strategy for international cooperation. For that reason, we focused our strategy in 16 countries: the US, Canada,
We notice how foreign companies are increasingly
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, the UK, France, Germany, Spain,
interested in working with us. These companies often
the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, China, South Korea, India
consult CONACYT about places where they can establish
and Australia. These efforts led to an increase in scientific
their business and how to acquire talent.
cooperation between Mexico and many countries, including Germany, with whom many bilateral exchanges have
Q: What are the main challenges to turn Mexico into a
happened in the last years. We also developed binational
knowledge-based economy?
laboratories with France, the US and other countries that
A: Mexico is trying to become a knowledge-based
involve funding and researchers from these countries.
economy, but we have discovered that the window of opportunity to do so is small. Mexico must choose the
Q: What are the main challenges the healthcare system
six or eight sectors in which it will invest to make its mark
will face in the coming years? How can CONACYT support
on the world and both biotechnology and biomedical
the sector?
sciences should be priorities.
A: During the 1970s, Mexico was praised by the international community for its excellent results in birth control. However, the effectiveness of this policy now shows its negative
The National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT)
side, since the age of the population will change in a very
is in charge of coordinating, regulating and promoting research
short period of time. This will require a complete change
in Mexico. The council supports research through scholarships,
of Mexico’s healthcare system as it will have to focus on
grants and collaborative projects with private institutions
the elderly.
