London - 21/09/09

EuroBio 2009 demonstrates French expertise in biotech

21 September 2009 – EuroBio, a key event for the international life-sciences community, will be held in Lille from 23 to 25 September 2009. The European convention is a major meeting place for biotechnology companies from all over the world, and leading French companies, together with R&D facilities and high-tech clusters, will be present to showcase their expertise and innovation.

EuroBio 2008, which took place in Paris, welcomed 5,000 participants from over 20 countries, including 120 international speakers, along with representatives of 500 companies and high-tech clusters. With its appeal to both research and industry, and its focus on all key subjects relating to the various applications of biotechnology (in healthcare, manufacturing and agriculture), EuroBio offers an opportunity to make an annual evaluation of advances in R&D and economic trends in what is one of the most important sectors for the future of mankind and the environment.

Healthcare is the sector in which biotechnology is used most frequently. France is ranked third among European countries in this sector, after the UK and Germany, and French biotechnology companies – such as Bio-Alliance, Nicox, ExonHit and Hybrigenics – are all conducting cutting-edge research. Some of these companies receive support from large pharmaceutical groups, which are often in the unique position of being able to commit substantial funds to R&D projects.

International biotechnology pioneers such as Amgen, Genentech, or Genzyme (all of which operate in France) have evolved into bio-pharma companies, marketing essential medications. The strategic importance of these biotechnology companies cannot be underestimated, given that the majority of future medications will be created using biotechnologies.

Eight innovation clusters (known in French as pôles de compétitivité) have been focusing on biotechnologies/healthcare in France since 2005, by supporting research and fostering knowledge-sharing between manufacturers and public-sector laboratories: Lyonbiopôle (Rhône-Alpes), Medicen (Ile-de-France), Alsace BioValley (Alsace), Nutrition Health Longevity (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), Atlantic Biotherapies (Pays de la Loire), Prod’Innov (Aquitaine), EuroBioMed (Languedoc-Roussillon/Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur), and Cancer-Bio-Santé (Midi-Pyrénées). A map of these clusters, along with background information, can be found online at: www.investinfrance.org

France’s dynamism in this field also has its origins in the excellence of French healthcare research, which was demonstrated last year with the decision to award the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine to Professors Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier of the Institut Pasteur in Paris for their work leading to the discovery of the human immunodeficiency (AIDS) retrovirus. While at the Génopôle d’Evry, a campus dedicated to biotechnologies, Jean Weissenbach, Director of Génoscope, developed the first high-resolution map of the human genome.

Such dynamism in research is also supported by France’s research tax credit, which is the most attractive in Europe. This was the context in which CellSeed, a Japanese biotechnology startup specializing in stem-cell therapy, decided to establish itself in Lyons, due to the quality of clinical trial platforms in France; the transparency of the regulatory environment; the high regard for ethics and patient relations; and, crucially, the availability of renowned experts in the region.

David Appia, President of the Invest in France Agency, notes, “Healthcare is a national priority in France and future medications will make increasing use of biotechnologies. France is at the forefront of biotechnology in Europe and has all the key advantages to convince biotechnology companies, many of which are SMEs, to choose the country as a base: eight innovation clusters providing dynamic business ecosystems, supported by the best research tax credit in Europe, which are all part of a quest for innovation being driven by key players and major pharmaceuticals manufacturers. They will all be at EuroBio in Lille this month.”

About EuroBio

EuroBio 2009, the partnering and technology transfer event for the biotechnology industry, will take place at the Grand Palais conference centre in Lille (in the north of France) from 23 to 25 September 2009.

For further information, please go to: www.eurobio-event.com

About Invest in France (IFA)

The Invest in France Agency (IFA) promotes and facilitates international investment in France. The IFA network operates worldwide. IFA works in partnership with regional development agencies to offer international investors business opportunities and customized services all over France.

For more information about this press release, please contact Martin Hedges, Director of Communications at the Invest in France Agency in London: mhedges@investinfrance.org

For further information, please go to: www.investinfrance.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Kate AMBLER – Press Officer

UBIFRANCE Press Office in London

Telephone: 0207-024-3640

Email: kate.ambler@ubifrance.fr

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