News

Thanks to public-private partnerships, humanity has implemented and continues to implement the most ambitious technological programmes – e.g. related to space exploration, but the effectiveness of this modality is also leading to breakthroughs in many other fields – including medicine. It was the still untapped potential of cooperation between the public and private sectors which was a subject of a debate by the Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, the Minister of Education and Science, Przemysław Czarnek, the President of the Medical Research Agency, Radosław Sierpiński, and other participants in the panel discussion entitled “International public-private partnership in the field of science and healthcare – priorities and challenges”, organised by the Institute for Social Policy Development, which took place on 7 September as part of the 31st Economic Forum in Karpacz.

Most people would probably have no particular associations with the term ‘public-private partnership’. The situation changes by 180 degrees if we ask whether anyone has heard of the landing of a man on the moon. The Apollo programme is just one of many examples of cooperation between the public and private sectors, demonstrating how immense challenges can be overcome by relying on them. Moderating the discussion, IRSS President Małgorzata Bogusz, opening the panel, pointed out that: “Today, both in Poland and internationally, we should look for paths to develop precisely public-private partnerships, quoting President Kennedy’s words: “Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard”. Thanks to the cooperation between public and private spheres, a man stepped on the Silver Globe, and the result thereof was innovations and technologies that we still use today in practically every home, in every corner of the world. But one does not have to look for projects reaching into space to benefit from the powerful development and innovation impulses that public-private partnerships provide. There are many other areas where it can lead to groundbreaking results. Health care, among others, is one of them.”

As the participants in the discussion emphasised, crises in recent years, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine, have shown us how important it is to act quickly. The modern world does not leave us much time to react. Therefore, the synergy of action is becoming crucial. The Minister of Education and Science, Przemysław Czarnek, speaking about public-private partnerships, pointed the following: “Developing science and increasing the effectiveness of researchers, which is applied in reality, particularly in the area of healthcare, are the path we should follow. All the ways that lead to finding new therapies are priceless. International cooperation between academic institutions is key. One of the examples is, among others, the cooperation with the Catholic University of Lublin, the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and the Gemelli Polyclinic, thanks to which we can carry out academic exchange, as well as share knowledge and experience. This is a type of public-private partnership.

Public-private partnerships provide a powerful impetus for the research and development and the implementation of innovations in many countries. This model is applicable in many areas from medical research to access models to highly innovative treatments that saves the lives of entire populations. Wojciech Nowak, Group Senior Director, Global Governmental Affairs from Novartis International signalled: “Methods to combat populational threats should be as innovative as the technologies themselves. Public-private partnerships showed their full potential in the pandemic crisis, so we should continue the same partnership approach in the context of the hidden pandemics of cardiovascular diseases.” 

For years, the brands and sectors in which cooperation between the public sector and industry has intersected have been among the most innovative ones. By engaging in collaboration with companies, public institutions become advocates for development. By using the potential of enterprises, the state can solve cardinal problems faster and more effective while stimulating growth in crucial areas for the future. As Radosław Sierpiński, President of the Medical Research Agency, explained: “It is because of the Agency’s desire to harness the potential of public-private partnerships that it has established the Warsaw Health Innovation Hub. That is a step toward building the Polish Medical Valley. The Warsaw Health Innovation Hub is becoming a natural place for the exchange of experience, the flow of ideas and the establishment of cooperation between business, public and academic entities related to the biomedical sector.” The President of Medical Research Agency (ABM) emphasized: “I truly believe that the Warsaw Health Innovation Hub is the start of something unique within the framework of public-private partnership. The future of the Warsaw Health Innovation Hub is painted in vivid colours. Although to date, public-private partnership has not had a good reputation, in recent years we have been disenchanting it. The phenomenon of public-private partnerships is inevitable. The vaccines that have saved the world are the result of public-private partnerships. Thanks to that, hopefully, we all have won the fight against the pandemic.”

For his part, Piotr Mazurek, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary of the Government for Youth Policy, pointed out: “NGOs are playing an increasingly important role in many areas, including healthcare. The development of science, technology and innovation is often animated by young, passionate and dedicated people working in the third sector. Therefore, public-private-social partnerships are extremely important, necessary and beneficial from a societal perspective. This has been demonstrated in recent months, for example, when citizens joined in to help refugees arriving in Poland from war-torn Ukraine, becoming an important partner for public institutions”.

Mariano Bizzarri, Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology at the Department of Experimental Medicine at the University ‘La Sapienza’ in Rome, said straightforwardly: “Without the involvement of public funds, a lot of research both in medicine and in many other areas would simply be impossible. The patronage of public institutions has been, is and will remain indispensable. In the absence of it, we will not be able to make rapid progress, neither in health care nor in many other disciplines.”

In turn, Dimitri Gitas, Managing Director of MSD Poland, said that cooperation or stimulation of certain developments by public institutions could adopt various forms: “MSD’s investments in R&D in Poland have contributed to the development  of novel therapeutic options for cancer patients. We are proud to have been designated a Research and Development Center in Poland, by the Ministry of Development & Technology.”

At the end of the panel, participants concurred that public-private partnerships are still an underexploited form of cooperation. If developed responsibly, such methods can bring many benefits to citizens, both in health care and many other domains.