BRIGHT - Summary of Eurasanté's cluster study visit in Lille

Submitted by Perrine Speybroek on 24 April 2023

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Purpose

Eurasanté's objective was to present to the members of the BRIGHT consortium the Eurasanté Bio Business Park in Lille, to give them access to the most recent information about it, to meet the different actors working there, to make the BRIGHT project visible to a large public, as well as to promote the specificities of our cluster such as the incubator or the proximity with hospitals and laboratories. 

The partners of the BRIGHT project got to know some companies working in the field of digital health in the Hauts-de-France region and had the opportunity to visit two laboratories and to meet the researchers as well as various members of Eurasanté. 

Finally, the BRIGHT partners also had an insight into the culture of Lille and the functioning of its eco system. 

 

Eurasanté innovation support system 

The members of the project were welcomed by the director of the incubator Olivier COUPIER. He introduced them to the incubators and accelerators that we run. An emphasis was made on the importance of our methodology to help the growth of 170+ companies and how we have leveraged both public and especially private fundings to create an ecosystem that is sustainable.   

 

Incubator 

For over 20 years, the Eurasanté Bio-Incubator and Bio-Accelerator has accompanied projects emerging from the regional health sector in order to encourage the creation of innovative companies. 

The incubator is ranked among the top 25 European biotech incubators for the emergence of innovative startups (Labiotech.eu 2021). 30% of its projects come from academic research. 

Since its creation there were more than 300 projects supported, 170 companies created, €670 m equity raised and over 1,300 jobs created. 

Our experienced project managers help researchers, start-ups, and companies with their development projects. Our services: 

  • Promote research activity 
  • Cooperate with research 
  • Set-up a business 
  • Fundraising support 
  • Recruitment support 
  • Innovation 
  • Business development 
  • Real estate and land 
  • Networking 
  • Marketing / Communication 

After this presentation, our guests assisted to an overview of our international strategies by Camille COL in charge of the business attractivity and international prospections. Eurasanté’s strategy around international development is based on several pillars:  

  • Support for companies at international tradeshows for health & nutrition 
  • Production and development of 4 European Business Conventions developed by Eurasanté on ageing, nutrition, biotech and medtech  
  • Strategic support for internationalization  
  • Support for the emergence of European projects enabling internationalization  

Several cases were presented to the audience to explicit how we are trying to develop our offers.   

The morning presentation was then concluded by the intervention of Fanny BOYAVAL, Biotech Business Analyst and Alizée JOSEPH ROSE, Innovation Project Manager from Clubster NHL. 

 

Clubster Nutrition Santé Longevité 

Clubster NHL - Nutrition, Health, Longevity - is the only competitive cluster at the interface of nutrition and health at the national level, bringing together players in the agro-nutrition, medtech-hospitech, biotech-pharma, silver economy and e-health sectors.  Clubster NHL stimulates exchanges and collaborations between the academic and industrial worlds and supports innovation projects that are candidates for regional, national and European funding windows. Its vocation is to help innovation projects emerge between private and public players in order to animate and promote the nutrition and health sector. 

Research in Lille 

The BRIGHT partners met with representatives from 2 research laboratories: 

  • Pr. David Devos from Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Laboratory 
  • Isabelle Van Seuningen from OncoLille 

They are part of the network of researchers of the Eurasanté bio park which includes 80 research laboratories and 4000 public and private researchers. The topics of excellence in the region are: 

  • Cancer 
  • Cardiometabolic diseases 
  • Neurodegenerative diseases 
  • Nutritional innovations 
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) 

Pr. David DEVOS is a researcher but also an entrepreneur who is also involved in the creation of 2 start-ups. The project members were able to discuss with him on how to turn certain research topics into businesses. The main research focus of Pr Devos is around neurology (Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases) and his work for the Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Laboratory is internationally renowned. The laboratory is located on the campus of Lille’ University Hospital and welcome international researchers in the field of neuroscience to improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to brain diseases.  

Isabelle Van Seuningen from Oncolille presented the structuration of this initiative. Oncolille is a interdisciplinary Cancer Research Institute which  benefits from the support of the University of Lille, Inserm, CNRS, Lille University Hospital, CRCC Center Oscar Lambret, from the Institut Pasteur de Lille (IPL), from the Institute for Cancer Research in Lille (IRCL) but also from strong and assertive support from the state, the Hauts-de- France, the MEL (European Metropolis of Lille) and the FEDER fund (European Regional Development Fund). The functioning of the laboratory and its equipment were also explained to the participants. 

 

Start-up pitches 

On the second day, the project members were able to attend the pitches of two start-ups incubated at Eurasanté: Vertexa and Eppur

The VERTEXA (Virtual Reality Therapy Exposition in Anorexia) digital therapy aims to use virtual reality as a support tool in the form of a playful and immersive psycho-educational course for patients suffering from eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia). The use of digital tools and new technologies now allows for an innovative, personalized, motivating and accessible approach regardless of where our patients are treated. 

EPPUR markets their first adapted wheel solution: Dreeft. This wheel pair allows wheelchair users to apply progressive and safe braking with a simple push to the back of the handrail. Divides by 5 the efforts necessary for braking compared to a traditional wheel and eliminates friction on the hand related to braking. 

After each presentation, the project members had the opportunity to ask questions about each of the projects and discuss the possibilities of international growth.  

Visit of Lille 

At the end of their visit, the project members were able to visit the historic center of Lille and get an overview of its history.  

As a matter of fact, Lille has preserved many buildings that bear witness to multiple influences, including the Palais Rihour, the Vieille Bourse, the Rang du Beauregard and the Notre-Dame de la Treille cathedral. 

After a tour that reveals the architectural facets of the city, the visit ends near the Hospice Comtesse, an emblematic monument, which preserves in its museum precious testimonies on the history of the city. 

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