Biotechnologies and Research: Matchmaking Talent and Potential For the past few years, France has shown a rare dynamism and wealth in the life sciences industry, from pharmaceuticals to biotherapeutics. Thanks to the excellence of its education system, its world-class research and hospital network, and the influence of strong French actors (Sanofi, Servier, Ipsen…), French SMEs have developed a very high technical expertise. More and more innovative projects are brought to advanced stages of development all over the country every year. Disruptive innovations and cutting-edge technologies for unmet medical needs are part of French entrepreneurs’ DNA. Oncology, infectious diseases and CNS are the three main therapeutic areas in current development; expect to see French first class science and applications in regenerative medicine, cell and immuno-therapies. Stock market investors were able to foresee this vitality: investments have been blooming in the industry in the past decades. Companies like Genfit, Cerenis Therapeutics, Ose Pharma, DBV Technologies and Nanobiotix are no strangers to that tendency. Many of these success stories shed light on outstanding entrepreneurs and bear witness to France’s maturity and growth potential. However, most of the French publicly traded biotech companies remain undervalued compared to their American counterparts. Awareness of this potential from international investors is yet on the rise and the global market is starting to see some changes, as French partnerships are set in motion across the world.
Even if different regulatory agencies exist and each market has their own characteristics, French biopharmaceutical companies evolve in a global industry. To succeed and develop their activities, biotechs increase their international footprint and partner with key shareholders to maximize their product development and focus on new markets. This is what we observed as well this year with large scale FrenchAmerican partnerships: Pfizer & Cellectis (with a maximum deal value at $2.8 billion), Eli Lilly & Adocia (with a collaboration deal of $570 million), Roche & Trophos ($545 million deal)… The French biotech market is spread out across the country but it is mostly organized around seven dynamic bioclusters, whose main purpose is to stimulate and boost the collaborative R&D between French and international partners. Each of these bioclusters is focused on specific expertise and therapeutic areas. Some of them even have built partnerships with North American bioclusters to foster relations between companies, research centers and schools across the ocean. Among those, Alsace Biovalley counts two partnerships with major clusters (CQDM/Quebec & MLSC/Massachusetts), Medicen Paris Region has strong relations with Biomaryland and Eurobiomed is collaborating with Biocom on many levels. Beyond these partnerships, Business France works every year with clusters to organize BtoB events.
UBISTART : Helping the Best Partnerships to Go Forward
For the first time in 2014, the GALIEN FOUNDATION and Business France joined forces with the goal of encouraging, rewarding and accompanying international partnerships between French entrepreneurs and North American businesses and institutions with a focus on innovation, scientific excellence and commercial ambition. The UBISTART project was launched on July 10, 2014 at a networking conference hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences. This unprecedented event featured 46 France-based companies specialized in biopharmaceutical and process technology, along with 150 US life sciences entities including key pharma players (Pfizer, Merck, Johnson&Johnson, Roche…), venture capital investors, as well as academic research centers. Some 600 matchmaking meetings were organized over the course of two days so that French companies could meet
14 - Business France North America 2014
with potential partners. Following this event, 18 partnership projects were entered in the UBISTART competition and evaluated according to their innovation, viability, impact, and overall added value. A jury composed of some of the most respected names in the industry selected the 9 projects they deemed to be the mostpromising. Those projects were then nominated for the final part of the competition with a more thorough examination based on the same criteria. The three finalists and winning projects were announced on December 4, 2014, during the annual GALIEN awards ceremony. The UBISTART prize was awarded to Anagenesis biotechnologies, Affilogic and Cellprothera, who are currently supported by Business France thanks to a financial donation made by the GALIEN FOUNDATION. Building on this success, a second edition of UBISTART will be launched this year.