Objective
The commercialisation of first-class research and the development of the European Biotechnology Healthcare sector faces major difficulties, in particular unmet financial needs and poor cooperation between sector actors. The absence of appropriate early-stag e risk capital severely impairs the formation of innovative start-up companies: Europe's start-ups need new forms of early-stage co-financing. The lack of short-term exit strategies that are able to provide acceptable returns on investment from biotechnology projects also impacts upon mature companies ability to seek additional investment. Experience suggests that European biotech is not enough collaboratively minded when measured against key performance indicators. Efficient and dynamic regional and EU-wide networking between actors is imperative if this situation is to be improved.
This project will address both issues and contribute to enhancing access to finance through the formation of a network of professionals (from research to finance) sharing knowledge and best practice in order to provide models, toolkits and recommendations. After a precise identification of the specific needs and challenges in this sector through the analysis of both good practice and business failures, mapping and rating the avail able sources of financing will lead to practical propositions, such as setting up a financial toolkit for supporting innovative biotechnology businesses across the EU, and recommendations to help bridge the gaps. Working as a network, this project will also bring together the partners and their stakeholders in order to build a dynamic and sustainable EU community involving researchers, investors and entrepreneurs, fostering mutual understanding.
The evolution of a community that develops and implements practices that meet the major players' needs is the hallmark of successful bioregions: this initiative intends to prove that this model can be extended nationally and internationally at the EU level.
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-INNOV-6
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Funding Scheme
CA - Coordination actionCoordinator
NANTES
France