Rytis Vincentas Urbonas, Director of Sanobiotec - a modern biotechnology company without analogues in Lithuania, which is taking the first steps towards success, explains what motivated him to engage in such unconventional activities, names the challenges he faces and points out what Lithuania should pay more attention to in order to improve the quality of life in the country.

How did you come up with the idea to start such an innovative business? What was the main criterion for success?

The idea began to develop while studying at university. I started working in the laboratory of the Department of Organic Synthesis at the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences in my first year of undergraduate studies. At that time, I had neither experience nor deep knowledge, but practical work in the laboratory helped me to absorb theoretical information more easily. I started looking for work in this field before I graduated, and then I realized that there is not much choice in Lithuania. Healthy competition in the labor market on the employers' side creates better conditions for employees. During my postgraduate studies, I worked in an international company where I gained valuable experience not only in chemistry but also in management.

I had a dream of starting a company in which I can do innovative chemistry research and develop commercial products from it. While I was working in the field of custom synthesis, my paths crossed with Petras Sabalis - an experienced businessman who had the idea to develop research with hemp fiber. Having realized we were on the same wavelength, we decided to start a business and apply for EU support under the measure “Intellect LT. Joint Science - Business Projects”.

I believe that this synergy - Peter as an experienced businessman and myself as an experienced scientist - was a key to success. It is often the case that scientists have valuable ideas but lack the business awareness and skills to implement them. It would be really helpful for science students to have the opportunity to choose one course from Business Management.

It is too early to speak of a success story, however, as only the first steps towards ambitious goals are being taken today.

You will conduct research into hemp grown for fiber. What will this research focus on, what is the final product of the company?

We are working on a project with the National Cancer Institute. Our goal is to explore the widest possible range of cannabinoid compounds for anticancer therapy and prevention purposes, and that is why we will investigate not only the major and minor cannabinoids, but also their chemically modified versions, and develop new synthetic compounds.

How would you evaluate the conditions in Lithuania for setting up this type of business?

We have quite strong nature sciences study programs in Lithuania, which creates great opportunities for intellectual projects. Therefore, I believe that Lithuania needs to increase investment in the high value-added product sector. Innovative and modern technologies in the fields of biotechnology, chemistry and physics should be a priority in order to improve the quality of life in our country. We should stop positioning ourselves as an agrarian country, because if we focus on it, we will not progress. This is one of the goals of our company - to contribute to the growth of Lithuania as a state of technology. So far, we have created 12 workplaces, and 9 of our employees are VU alumni.

Decisiveness and teamwork are key to building a new business. In our particular case, it is the loopholes in the law and lagging behind the western countries that makes our situation difficult.

Is anyone else in Lithuania doing similar business? Is there any competition?

We are the first in Lithuania to be licensed to conduct research on Schedule 1 narcotic and psychotropic substances, so we could be called pioneers. Western countries have come a long way in regulating cannabis processing, and have made further progress in developing cannabis products, so we are in competition with manufacturers in those countries.

What are the company's future plans?

We intend to expand the field of research in the near future by exploring the potential of cannabinoids and other compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.