We are living in the “Bio Era”, Dr. Ana Luisa Villanueva, Life, Health and Personal Accident Chief Medical Officer at MAPFRE RE, reminds us in this issue of Trébol. This is the term used in medicine to describe the time that has arrived through the appropriate combination of many scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, IT and environmental technology, amongst others. The most immediate achievement in the medical field is the predictive assessment of diseases, with patients being the ones to benefit most, as they receive maximum-efficiency individualised treatment. Transferring these advances to the field of insurance, Dr. Villanueva thinks that the study of biomarkers and predictive tests should gradually be incorporated in order to identify possible adverse situations at an early stage, as long as the methods have been rigorously validated. And this is not science fiction.

After having published various analyses on the consequences of the implementation of Solvency II in previous issues of Trébol, this time we include a practical exercise. Dr. Held runs the Swiss-based company PERILS AG, his mission being to provide the European insurance and reinsurance sector with information on windstorm exposure and losses. As part of the most recent Quantitative Impact Study (QIS5) for Solvency II, PERILS has worked with the European market, offering its assessment of gross exposure to the effect of storms. The information involved is undoubtedly very valuable because of its direct relationship with the capital level that the insurance and reinsurance sector will need once the new arrangements apply and will continually have to update as the Solvency II framework becomes established.

Talking about “cloud computing” in IT -a term coined in 2006- is not the latest news. Today, being “in the cloud” is a metaphor for the Internet and is nevertheless a reality which is transforming the way in which IT services and data are provided. Trébol interviews Enrique Riesgo, Head of Innovation and Solutions at CSC, to look at the advantages and risks that the use of cloud computing brings for companies. This represents a revolution in working methods which has already been incorporated in the finance and insurance sector and presents big challenges for users.

Communication builds bridges between cultures, economies and personal relationships. The Spanish language is the heritage of 500 million Spanish speakers and, in an interview given to Trébol, the Director of Instituto Cervantes, Carmen Caffarel^*, emphasises its economic potential as an industry. Instituto Cervantes may also be considered a cultural ambassador and precursor to Spain’s international relations, operating the “soft policy” that oils the wheels of major socioeconomic agreements. Present in 44 countries at 77 locations, Instituto Cervantes has just celebrated its 20^th birthday and remains alert, developing different forms of communication between Spanish speakers in the world of new technologies.

^* Replaced by Mr. Víctor García de la Concha (January 2012)