The Biopark Charleroi Brussels South Newsletter N 13 Spring 2012

Transcription

1 News The Biopark Charleroi Brussels South Newsletter N 13 Spring 2012 C H A R L E R O I B R U S S E L S S O U T H EDITO The Biopark: the result of 18 years of effective cooperation between the ULB and IGRETEC In 1994, ULB and IGRETEC decided to open the Minerve Centre, a noteworthy component of which was the Biotechnology Centre of Excellence, and together they developed the facilities required with support from the Wallonia region and the EU s Objective 1 programme. IBMM (Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine) was the first addition in 1999, and the following years saw it joined by IMI (Institute for Medical Immunology), Biovallée (now Immune- Health), LBV (Vegetal Biotechnology Laboratory) and, more recently still, by the CMMI (Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging), all contributing to the development of this life sciences cluster. IGRETEC then created the first business hosting facilities with Biopark Incubator 1, which to this day is home to Henogen and Delphi Genetics. Today, the Biopark Charleroi Brussels South is the physical proof of a successful initiative. Indeed, the Biopark can offer a full range of services at every step of the innovation process : from developing business plans to providing premises, from research to training for new companies. In total, 500 scientists work in the biotechnology sector at various institutes, laboratories, research centres, and businesses. 70% of them live in the Walloon area, and most of those live in the immediate region! Biopark Incubator PLC Biopark Incubator PLC is the result of a partnership between ULB, Igretec, Héralès and Sambrinvest, and offers essential support to budding businesses! Whether they are a biotechnology, medical device, or engineering science business in the broadest terms, the BI is at hand to provide assistance in evaluating and marketing their technology, carrying out market research, developing a strategy, creating their business plan, and finding financial backers: all of this in a flourishing sector that is set to become an international jewel in our regional economy. Incubation involves the work of professional teams who need the appropriate infrastructure: the Biopark Incubator 2 building. Biopark Incubator 2 The recently finished Biopark Incubator 2 includes a 1800m² incubator offering all the services expected of a specialist business centre, and 1800m² of unfurnished space for standard rental, as well as 1200m² of lab space that will be home to, amongst others, the cell therapy company MaSTherCell. A full range of facilities for mature research companies! IGRETEC is proud to have contributed to Biopark, and its support will continue! Marc Debois Directeur général IGRETEC Contents Biopark Incubator Welcome to Biopark Incubator 2-3 Spin-off in gestation 4 a-ulab : advised, financed, housed 5 MaSTherCell : bespoke hosting 6 New training course : management and biotech 7 Charleroi Aeropole : Employment opportunities 8

2 Welcome to Biopark Incubator The Biopark Incubator team is now comfortably located in its new premises. Officially opened on 24 April, Biopark Incubator 2 will act as a trampoline for startups and young businesses in life sciences and engineering. 2 With the economic development of Biopark Charleroi Brussels South going from strength to strength, the inauguration of the Biopark Incubator 2 on 24 April only adds momentum. The V-shaped building stands a stone s throw from the IBMM, IMI, and CMMI research centres. Built by Igretec with backing from Wallonia, it houses 4800m² of offices and laboratories that can be adapted to a company s needs, as well as GMP white rooms, spread across four floors. Take a look around! On the ground floor are the reception area and two bare wings (each 600m²): spin-offs and start-ups will be able to equip them according to their needs. Two fully complete incubation wings are found on the first floor. One level up there is an extra incubation wing, ready for use, in addition to another bare wing. The top floor of the building, with a ceiling of 7m, is used exclusively for white rooms that will be equipped and furbished by the company that uses them (MaSTherCell will be taking up residence in the near future). The first tenants have moved into Biopark Incubator 2 in spring 2012, and by summer one quarter of the total surface, or 1200m², will be occupied. In addition to MaSTherCell (see article on page 6), tenants include Aliwen, a ULB spin-off specialising in the phytosanitary analysis of our cities trees and that provides management plans, inventories, and digital ID cards for trees; Microcyc, a new IT company that develops applications for nursing; CareSquare, specialising in the development and marketing of innovative IT solutions to improve the living conditions of patients at home through remote check-ups, support, and communication; and CF Pharma, a company that promotes, markets, and distributes pharmaceutical, parapharmaceutical, and medical products. Biopark Incubator will also be in residence from spring onwards, and will manage the building. An additional link in the value chain (see figure), Biopark Incubator will provide extra impetus to the healthy economic development taking place within the Biopark. Three roles The Incubator performs three roles that vary depending on the project maturity and what the company wants. These are: support, funding, and hosting. The details vary case to case; any project in the life sciences and engineering sector may apply, Research IP Protection Proof-ofconcept Business plan Licensing Fund Raising Creation of company Research Department TTO TTO Incubators TTO Incubators Entrepreneurship Center TTO Theodorus (Management+ Investment Commitee) Incubator, Management of Theodorus and shareholders ULB chain of value

3 Flexible workspace The Smart Work Center is a network of shared offices spread throughout the Fédération Wallonnie-Bruxelles. The concept is simple: provide a flexible workspace with pre-installed technology for a given period. There is no lease and no long-term commitment: only specific pricing for different types of user. The network provides decentralised workspaces within which workers from any background can set-up shop and work remotely. Biopark s neighbour, Brussels South Charleroi Airport, has over 1,000,000 business customers every year, and is a Smart Work Center partner. Based on the same concept, BioWin Partner Port is also part of an international network. However, the flexible workspaces are only available to other biotechnology employees. whether they are from ULB or UMons or indeed elsewhere. Biopark Incubator assists project sponsors in evaluating their technology s potential, defining the strategic approach to adopt, identifying potential clients, developing a business model and financial plan, etc. Biopark Incubator may also provide assistance in setting-up or consolidating a management team. It has access to a network of coaches and experts, and works closely with the Incubator on Erasmus Campus (ULB Brussels) EEBIC, Igretec, the Héraclès business centre, and other biotech incubators, notably Wallonia Biotech Coaching. The second role is that of a financial advisor. Biopark Incubator can help an existing or future company to outline its financial strategy, compile an application to obtain funding, meet public or corporate investors (Theodorus/ ULB, Sambrinvest, etc.) and find banking partners... In its third role, the Biopark Incubator provides businesses premises: it has 4800m² of office and laboratory space that can be adapted to the tenant s needs. It also offers various administrative services: switchboard, secretary, purchasing department, central waste management... and more. Biopark Incubator will also work with Igretec to offer specific services such as management training and expert consulting. Read on to see the Biopark Incubator through the eyes of the companies it has provided with its services: In Silico, a-ulab and MaSTherCell. Sandrine Rubay 3 Contact : Biopark Incubator Aéropole de Charleroi Rue Auguste Piccard Charleroi Tel :+32 (0) info@bioparkincubator.be Learn more: In figures euros the building s budget (Excl. VAT) m 2 the area of Biopark Incubator m 2 the area of white rooms March 2012 when the first tenants will take up residence in Biopark Incubator 25% building occupancy by summer people Biopark Incubator team Biopark Incubator capital

4 Support A spin-off in gestation The In Silico project is dedicated to applied biocomputing for genetic data, and has received the support of Biopark Incubator for several months now. By summer, the Enlighten Bioscience spin-off should be complete. 4 In 2003, the first human genome was sequenced at a cost of $3 billion. Last January, Life Technologies announced that by the end of the year, the same sequencing would be available for only $1000! By 2014, 1,000,000 human genomes could have been sequenced! What we are experiencing is a something of a snowball effect, but where will these millions of genomes be stored? How will they be kept safe? How can they be cross referenced for diagnostics or clinical studies? Our In Silico project aims to answer these questions, explains David Weiss, a IRIDIA-CoDE researcher at Graduate School of Engineering (ULB). David Weiss Innovative technology His scientific project is fascinating. In Silico offers a technical solution to the storage, management, and analysis of genetic data, and has benefited from the longstanding support of the Brussels-Capital Region (first through the programme d impulsion, and then through Spin-off in Brussels), and the ULB Technology Transfer Office (TTO). The team has published articles in numerous scientific journals including a recent article in the esteemed Bioinformatics journal and while project seems innovative, potential customers ready, and the technology efficient; establishing a company remains a complicated process in a rapidly evolving market with ever more competition. I m a bioengineer: I ve always worked in academic research labs and until three years ago I paid no attention to the business side of things. I enrolled on the Creation and Growth (Création et Croissance) evening class at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, but even then was still a long way to go before coming up with a mature business plan. I realised that I would need specialist help to create a technologies start-up, admits David Weiss. The project obtained the support of Biopark Incubator, working closely with the ULB TTO. Once per week, the young scientist and the TTO met with two advisors. Together, they carried out market research, gave thought to the positioning of the embryonic spin-off, developed the financial plan, predicted growth, determined the human resources required, and polished the investors presentation and sales pitch. Business Oriented The hard work paid off: in 2012 the ULB investment fund, Theodorus, expressed an interest in the project. We had already presented the project to them a few months earlier, and they told us that they couldn t see how we could turn it into a business. Six months later, coaching from Biopark Incubator improved the project s economic interest and Theodorus began to consider making an investment, highlights David Weiss, going on to explain that, We had a lot of potential customers: the pharmaceutical industry, academic research labs, teaching hospitals, the food industry... Our In Silico DB tool is operated through an online platform, and is compatible with the systems already in place within a company; it uses open source analysis tools... ; we have done all that we could to ensure maximum accessibility. A demo version is available online ( ulb.ac.be) and already has 500 users, including the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Oxford University, as well as a fair number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer. By summer, the paperwork should all be complete and the Enlighten Bioscience spin-off will be officially launched. The sponsors plan to begin fund-raising in the coming months. Working with Biopark Incubator brought the professional edge to our high-tech business project. It gave us access to a network of experts who provided assistance that ranged from assessing the project to creating the company. Most of all, our relationship with Biopark Incubator gave us confidence in ourselves: a company in gestation, David Weiss concludes. Nathalie Gobbe

5 a-ulab : advised, financed, housed A young spin-off company from the ULB specialising in asbestos diagnostics, a-ulab will soon move in to the Biopark Incubator, having already enjoyed the Incubator s consulting services: especially for the financial plan. Projects are often born of encounters with like-minded individuals, and a-ulab is a prime example of this. The encounter that gave birth to a-ulab was between Erasmus Hospital Respiratory Department, and Pegase Environment. The Respiratory Department is renowned for its studies into how asbestos affects human health, and Pegase Environment is a specialist in asbestos inventorying buildings. They have decided to pool their skills to create a lab for testing asbestos fibres (2000 times thinner than a human hair!) in suspect materials. a-ulab was created on 17 November We received assistance from EEBIC and Biopark Incubator, who helped us develop our financial plan, refine our strategy, to take a step back from our project to gain some perspective, and by asking us questions that at first seemed obvious, but then... well, I m a geologist, a mineralogist, and a doctor in biomedical sciences: I have no idea of how to develop a company s financial plan or to evaluate the market to see if the company is viable. Today, thanks to EEBIC and Biopark Incubator, we have a strategic five-year plan complete with specific data and indicators to monitor... It s concrete, it has milestones: it s reassuring knowing it s there, highlights Pascal Dumortier, co-founder of a-ulab. And the schooling turned out to be worthwhile: the company was able to persuade Theodorus, the ULB s investment fund, to invest capital in spring Belgium, Kosovo a-ulab will provide three different services all related to asbestos: the analysis of suspect materials, air-filter analysis in asbestos removal sites, and training for those who work in the sector. Sometimes it s easy to think that asbestos is ancient history, given that powdered asbestos was outlawed in 1986, and other kinds of asbestos were banned in 1998: but asbestos is still present in a huge number of buildings and industrial installations, especially in Belgium that was at one point the world s biggest importer of asbestos per capita! We are also world leaders in mesothelioma or cancer of the pleura! So the asbestos problem is far from solved! continues Pascal Dumortier. a-ulab will not, however, limit itself to the Belgian market: the company is entering business with a project backed by AWEX and SOFINEX to carry out a feasibility study of asbestos inventorying two towns and some 154 buildings in Kosovo. a-ulab is currently focusing on asbestos, and we want to position ourselves as a high quality, certified laboratory. When the company matures, it will broaden its expertise to include other pollutants such as lead, or parasites and mould, states Philippe A. Remy, a co-founder of a-ulab. The company will soon take up residence in the Biopark Incubator. We wanted to set-up in Wallonia, where we already have enthusiastic public partners like AWEX and SOFINEX. The Biopark Incubator was the right choice for several reasons: brand new premises, a dynamic environment at the heart of the Biopark, shared services, a direct link to our University, the ULB... explains Pascal Dumortier. The budding company will occupy around 100m² (labs and office space), and employ four people. 5 Nathalie Gobbe

6 MaSTherCell : bespoke hosting MaSTherCell (Manufacturing Synergies for Therapeutic Cells) is one of the first companies to benefit from Biopark Incubator. Taking full advantage of hosting services, the recent start-up is now one full year ahead of its development plan. MaSTherCell s implantation in the Biopark is already a fait accompli. The company is currently located at Biopark Incubator 1, and has received help from the Incubator with putting together a team of experts, supported by Sambrinvest and Igretec. The company has one ambition: to be the leading service provider in the production of cell therapy products by 2019 (read more about this in Biopark News 10). However, before it can begin production of cell-medicine, the company first needs a roof over its head: MaSTherCell has decided to set up home in the new Biopark Incubator 2 building, partaking of the hosting services available to new companies. We can rent the space we need, while sharing fixed overheads such as heating, maintenance, and running a reception with the other companies in the building, explains Didier Argentin, the marketing director at MaSTherCell. Having our own building would have required significantly more funding. What is more, as construction work was carried out while MaSTherCell was created, the start-up leapt ahead of its schedule. We are now one year ahead of schedule compared to our initial business plan, and time is money, enthuses the CBO. 6 Good Manufacturing Laboratories MaSTherCell will occupy a 650m² floor of the building with a ceiling height of 7.5m. A minor detail? Not when GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) is to be observed, in line with new European standards for the production of cell therapy products. Sterile rooms require a high performance ventilation and controlled air filtration system: a system that takes up an entire floor to itself. Cell-medicine poses specific constraints and particularities, and there are currently just over 1000m² of GMP standard paces in Europe. MaSTherCell aims to pick up the slack by providing companies with the tools, services, and infrastructures required to produce these new cell medicines. Biopark Incubator anticipated the young company s needs when it included this special floor in its building. It made us able to focus on our added value, such as equipping our GMP labs and quality system, without needing to take care of the construction of the building s shell, Didier Argentin explains. Work should begin in the near future, and be completed in October. Location is also important While waiting to move into the building, MaSTherCell continues to approach businesses in the cell therapy field. To date, over a dozen European and American companies have expressed an interest in MaSTherCell, and the company intends to take advantage of its location within the Biopark. The success of a new company is especially dependant on its visibility and its network, continues Dider Argentin, Our location in the Biopark surrounds us with industry players and will enable our network to grow, especially in terms of marketing and cooperation, he concludes. MaSTherCell also plans to begin partnerships with other companies present in the Biopark in order to offer a broader range of services that include quality control and cell characterisation. In this light, the Aeropole is the perfect place for the young company. Natacha Jordens

7 Management and biotech Scientists who aim to perform management duties are increasingly being called upon to learn new skills, and it is with future managers in mind that Biopark will, as of the next academic year, offer a new intensive training course: STRATEGIO. The course acts as a mini-mba in life sciences, and is the product of close collaboration between the BioWin competition cluster, Biopark Formation, and Solvay Business School. Arnaud Termonia, the director of Biopark Formation, talks to us about the main points of the course. Can you explain exactly what the course includes? A. Termonia : It s a 14 days course spread over several weeks. The course is designed for young managers with a scientific background who want to develop management skills for their current or future role. This was the case for a young researcher who wanted to move away from his bench and play a larger role in managing the company. Biopark Formation has worked with BioWin and Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management to offer a relevant programme. A. Termonia : Yes. What makes this course different is the way in which the partners combine their skills. The Solvay Brussels School brings teaching and academic expertise, Biopark Formation and BioWin anchor STRATE- GIO at the heart of the Biotech/pharma sector. Teaching is provided by trainers from both the academic and industrial sector, and the interuniversity nature of the course means that teaching staff come from a range of universities. Can you tell us exactly what classes will be taught? A. Termonia : The material covered includes understanding the ecosystem of life sciences research, the strategies used at different stages of the Healthcare project, innovation management, finance and accounting basics, HR management, etc. Coaching will also be provided: students will have to build and defend their project before a panel of judges. In addition to this, all classes will be taught in English. Are there plans to make the course available to those with an interest in the biomedical business but without experience in this area? A. Termonia : Currently, the course is aimed primarily at those from a scientific background. However, there are plans to make the course available to people from different backgrounds, such as lawyers, economists, etc. The MBA will then include an introductory course in life sciences. This is a route the course may take in the future. Natacha Jordens For further information about the course, visit : or contact arnaud.termonia@ulb.ac.be «An Important Issue» Olivier Witmeur, Directeur of Solvay Executive Education and professor at SBS. The biopharmaceutical sector is one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in Belgium, for large companies and young spin-offs that emerge from universities alike. However, as in a lot of other fields, it remains difficult to make the switch from technical know-how to managerial acumen. Providing management training to those with a scientific background is therefore critical. The SBS (ULB), LSM (UCL) and HEC (ULG) are pooling their expertise in training new managers in a practical approach that uses tools that can be directly applied in the students workplace. We are happy to be working with Biopark and to benefit from their network, and their understanding of the industrial context. Interview express 7 «BioWin acts as a catalyst» France Fannes, BioWin Directrice générale As part of the Marshall Plan 2.Vert, BioWin has performed various studies on the skills that its members need to develop. It emerged that partnerships between companies were becoming more common as more and more of those involved in the biotechnology business opened up to cooperation, which was previously uncommon. Of particular importance in cooperative projects is the researcher s ability to use various technologies, to understand the financial mechanisms involved in a project, and to sell the project to a company. This is the principle of the BIOPHARE project: to bring all training providers together around a shared vision, and assist in the development of development plans for all audiences. STRATEGIO is one of these six plans: dedicated to the development of managerial and strategic skills in the life sciences field, it is the competition cluster s first outing into the training sector.

8 Charleroi Aeropole Employment opportunities Manpower took a snapshot of employment at the Aeropole. The Biopark stood out as a key player, both as an employer and an educator. Employment 8 12,000 people work at the Aeropole and five other parks north of Charleroi, 4,000 of which are employed by the Aeropole alone, a figure that has quadrupled over the past decade. The Aeropole science and technology park has, in a few years, established itself as a driver of the Walloon economy, and done away with the former image of the region s industrial areas. A recent Manpower Belgium study found that 19% of the 263 companies surveyed across the five business parks around Charleroi airport had vacant posts to fill. The Aeropole is first and foremost a science park, but not only scientists work there. The range of jobs stretches from workman to engineer, and includes administrative and maintenance roles, explains Nathalie Czerniatynski, the regional and strategic development manager at Igretec. Laurence Delaitre, the branch manager at Manpower Aeropole, says that there is a shortage of certain professions, businesses are looking for qualified technicians, as well as other roles for which there is a shortfall of candidates such as engineers, multilingual call centre agents, and experts in biochemistry and new technologies. Within the Aeropole, Biopark Charleroi Brussels South alone employs 535, half of which work in academic institutes and labs, the rest in the private sector. A number of researchers work at the Biopark, but they are not alone: one third of employees are Doctors, another third masters students, and the rest are made up of undergraduates or high-school graduates (from regional schools and universities). Almost 70% of employees are local residents of Wallonia. Biopark takes part in European Weekend The Biopark is more than an employer: it is also an educator. The courses on offer include short courses for those working in the biomedical sector, and full courses for jobseekers. In 2011, 315 trainees have received training at the Biopark, following 25 intensive modules and 2 full courses (80 days) designed for jobseekers. Through BioCel, a course that focuses on cellular culture, and Biopoly, a course that aims to produce versatile biotechnologists, the Biopark is attempting to resolve the personnel shortage in biotechnology. Over the past two years, just over 40 jobseekers have completed these courses: following four months of classroom based theory, they embark on a 20 day internship in an academic or industrial lab. Upon completion of the course, 80% of students have already signed an employment contract, and 75% of them start work within three months. Full information available at Sandrine Rubay On Sunday 6 May, Biopark will open its doors to the public as part of the European Weekend, organised by Wallonia and the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. The event aims to shine the spotlight on the uses that ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and ESF (European Social Fund) money is put to, around the theme of Tomorrow s Skills. Between 2pm and 5pm, visitors will be able to spend time in the CMMI imaging centre, the ImmuneHealth collaborative research centre and the Biopark Incubator building. It will be the ideal opportunity to meet the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) team, as well as Biopark Formation trainers and the Biopark s other scientists and entrepreneurs. The event will feature three themes: Tomorrow s research roles, Tomorrow s jobs in industry, and Lifelong Learning. Meet in the IBMM lobby, rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet 12, Aéropole de Charleroi (Gosselies). For more information visit or call academie universitaire wallonie-bruxelles C H A R L E R O I B R U S S E L S S O U T H Quarterly Editor : Nathalie Gobbe Editorial Staff : Bruno André, Dominique Demonté, Patrick Di Stefano, Nathalie Gobbe, Natacha Jordens, Véronique Kruys, Sandrine Rubay, Arnaud Termonia, Luc Vanhamme Sub-editor : Nancy Dath Lay-out and printing : Paragraph - Fleurus Contact : ULB, Department of External Relations, Research Communications : ndath@ulb.ac.be, +32 (0)