Tito Crissienthe Minister of Science, says that the budget cuts to the portfolio he presides over did not prevent investment in that sector from reaching 1.01% of the Gross Domestic Product.
Crissien told EL COLOMBIANO about the vaccine production projects headed by VaxThera –Sura group firm– and the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. He revealed that the first would be ready to pack and fill vaccines in 2024 and that the second had already bought a lot in the municipality of Facatativa, Cundinamarcafor the same purpose.
In addition, the next government will have to consolidate investment in science and improve the availability of human talent.
How will the connection process with the next government be?
“By order of President Duque, it will be a process open to the public, one hundred percent transparent. All the documents that we deliver are going to be posted on the website so that they are publicly accessible. We are waiting for the president-elect to choose who would occupy the Minciencias team in the next government. For about six months we have been preparing all the information, led by the Minister of Finance José Manuel Restrepo and by the Director of Planning Alejandra Botero”.
What do you think are the three challenges that the next Government will have to face in terms of Science?
“The first challenge is to increase investment in research in the basic, natural and exact sciences. Unfortunately, investment in science will never be enough. You have to strengthen it.
The second is to try to increase investment in science, technology and innovation (STI) by the private sector. In countries like the United States, 70% of investment in CTI is made by the private sector, because they understand that it is good business. In Colombia, 75% of the investment is made from the public sector.
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And the third great challenge is human talent. We need more doctors, more masters, more researchers. For this reason, in the Government of President Duque we created 4,075 doctoral scholarships. It has been the highest figure in the history of the Republic of Colombia. The challenge that I launch to the next Government is that they exceed those 4,000.”
There are those who say that the creation of the Ministry of Science did not imply more investment in the sector. In fact, they lowered the Minciencias budget for 2022 by more than 19%…
“The budget that was lowered was that of the Ministry of Science, however, in the entire National System of Science, Technology and Innovation (CTI) investment was increased. What was reduced was the bureaucracy and the expenses that were not necessary within the General Budget of the Nation, of the Ministry.
Through the General Royalties System we had $1.9 billion in the last two years. And in the entire four-year term of President Duque, there were $3.6 billion, which were invested from royalties for science. We have invested $4.6 billion in tax benefits”.
Did that reduction in bureaucracy mean cuts in jobs?
“Nope. It’s still the same 140 plant employees, but there were some contractors. It was possible to greatly reduce the number of them. We are working hand in hand with universities and companies through CTI projects”.
How is the vaccine production process going in
Colombia?
“We have two great alternatives. One is VaxThera, from the Sura group, which is going to start the vaccine production process. And the other is the Chinese company, Sinovac, which has already bought land in Facatativá (Cundinamarca) and is going to start building its vaccine production plant, not only thinking about covid-19, but also about tropical diseases such as Zika. , chikungunya, malaria”.
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How advanced is the Sinovac process in Facatativá?
“They already bought the lot. They are in the process of obtaining construction licenses and they already have an entire plan drawn up for 15 years on how they are going to start the bottling and filling process, known as fill and finish, then with the production of vaccines and then working on the development of Colombian vaccines, with national technology. For our part in the Ministry of Science, a great challenge will be human talent. We are going to do some postdoctoral internships sending doctors to China, so that in three years that the plant is up and running we will also have Colombian talent working and prepared right there in China to come and work with us.”
And in Rionegro, with VaxThera, when are the first vaccines expected to be packaged?
“We are waiting in 2024 for the packaging and filling to begin. VaxThera already has the building licenses. We have already laid the first stone, they are going to start construction, we hope that in about 18 months, at the beginning of 2024, we will start producing vaccines “
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