Sonia Martínez

Executive in research and innovation management in the health sector. Sonia Martínez Arca is graduated in Pharmacy from the University Complutense of Madrid and has a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology, with over 10-years academic research experience. She developed her scientific career in Biomedicine and Biotechnology in the Spanish Research Council (CSIC, CBM, Madrid), in the Curie Institute/INSERM (Paris) and in the Vall d’Hebron Hospital (Barcelona). In 2005 she focused her career towards science management, joined the Scientific Department of the Barcelona Science Park, being its manager for over two years, dealing with technology transfer, incubation of technology-based companies and European projects. In 2009 she became the Manager of the Research Services of the University of Santiago de Compostela, being responsible for the coordination of all its scientific infrastructures, as well as of the development of new research centers and of the design and implementation of the Campus Vida project, recognized as International Campus of Excellence. In 2010 she became the Director of the Fundación IDICHUS, in charge of the management and promotion of the research developed at the University Hospital of Santiago, the leading research hospital of the region. In 2013 she was appointed Director General of Innovation and Management of Public Health in the Galician Health Ministry, with responsibilities over the health research and innovation strategy of the region. From this position she led the design and launching of the new Health Knowledge Agency, ACIS, which integrates the strategy and operations in training, health technology assessment, research and innovation in the whole Public Health System in Galicia. Director of ACIS until July 2017, she boosted several successful strategic programs aimed at consolidating the innovation culture in the public health sector and public-private collaborations, from research valorization programs to public procurement of innovation.