dr. A (Agata) Gulisano

Knowledge Transfer Officer and Coordinator Road to Innovation Grant at Corporate Value Creation (CVC)

Business developer Biotech Booster

As a knowledge transfer officer, I support WUR researchers in the effective transfer of knowledge, technologies and scientific results to the broader community. I work side by side with researchers, industrial partners and governmental agencies to bridge the gap between academia and society and ensure that WUR research can have a long-lasting impact by translating its research into real-world applications. We achieve this by building together roadmaps to innovation and impact strategies, connecting different stakeholders and setting up research projects, guaranteeing protection and transfer of intellectual property as well as social impact of research, and supporting the creation of new spin-off.

At CVC my main focus is on the initial phase of knowledge transfer. I collaborate closely with researchers, evaluating their propositions and co-creating roadmaps for innovation. In particular I support them in securing both national and international funding to validate the potential impact of their ideas and build proof of concepts. To this end, I also coordinate an internal WUR funding tool called Road to Innovation grant and available to all WUR employee to support the exploration of  technical merit or feasibility of research outcomes towards their utilisation either for commercial and/or societal innovation.

I also work as a Business developer for Biotech Booster, a National Growth Fund (NGF) supported program built to boost the biotechnology sector in The Netherlands.  The aim of the project is to ensure that biotechnology can have a bigger and faster impact on society by supporting the commercialization of biotechnology findings. As a business developer, I scout for projects in the Agri/Food domain and guide founders from the idea stage to the development of investable/commercial propositions.

After an education in Agronomy (University of Catania) and a Master in Plant Science (WUR), I received a PhD in Plant Breeding at Wageningen University. During the PhD and following Post-doc I  focused on pre-breeding of Lupinus mutabilis (Andean lupin), a native Andean species rich in protein and oil also known as the “new soybean”, and on its introduction in Europe. During this journey, I learnt how to conduct cutting-edge and impactful scientific research but also discovered my desire to invest my time and efforts in developing more effective ways to create impact by connecting these scientific outcomes with society.