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Víctor Grífols i Lucas, in memoriam (1919-2015)

The example of Victor Grifols i Lucas, a good and honourable man, will remain forever associated with the progress and the aims of our Foundation.

When the current president of the Grifols company decided to create a foundation dedicated to reflection and debate on ethics, he decided that it should be named after his father, Victor Grifols i Lucas. The Victor Grifols i Lucas Foundation was created in recognition of this highly respected scientist and businessman, who was above all an excellent person who never allowed any personal interests to interfere with the principles and values that he held dear. He was frequently heard to say that the key to the success of the company, of which he was president for many years, lay in the determination to do things well, to be unfailing in questions of precaution and of control of the techniques and products that the company marketed. He was convinced that it was this careful, even excessive prudence, that gave his products an advantage over competitors, and gained the confidence of the experts who used them. In the sixties, with the appearance of AIDS, Grifols took great pains to guarantee the safety of their products.  This example shows that a company dedicated to the production of therapeutic plasma cannot function properly unless it has the Hippocratic principles of doing no harm, seeking always to do good, among its priorities.

Throughout the existence of the Foundation, Victor Grifols was always present in the official events. A discrete presence, warm and receptive, always ready to help, but without interfering. A long list of researchers who have received scholarships and prizes from the Foundation have received their awards from his hands. This continued until two years ago, when his health prevented him continuing this practice, and forced him to reduce his activities in general. He genuinely enjoyed these activities, and not being able to go to Parets was a sad loss for him. The Museum, in the headquarters in Jesus i Maria street, was an initiative to which he dedicated himself after a heart attack forced him to reduce his work load and stay at home.  His life-long interest in documentation allowed him to reconstruct the evolution and development of the company from its beginnings. 

The example of Victor Grifols i Lucas, a good and honourable man who developed his scientific potential to its maximum level, will remain forever associated with the progress and the aims of our Foundation.

Victòria Camps
President

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