The Biopôle site in the Lausanne area houses more than 50 companies and institutions in the life science field. The organisation today announced the addition of an incubator to its offering. Applications for the incubator with 700 m2 of fully equipped laboratories and 300 m2 of shared offices are now open.
Started in 2004 by the public authorities of the Canton of Vaud, Biopôle is a life sciences community bringing together industry and academia. The site is home to several head offices of multinational corporations, startups and clinical development teams, together with technology and service providers. It also hosts 25 research groups, in particular the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Today over 1,200 professionals from over 30 nations enjoy a range of world-class facilities across ~80,000 m2 of landscape.
Today Biopôle announced the creation of a new life sciences incubator on the site. StartLab will be a new home for 10-12 startup companies of 35-40 persons in total. It will be part of the new 9,000 m2 building developed by Retraites Populaires, a company specialized in life and occupational pensions.
Biopôle has a clear strategy to be one of the best life sciences hubs in Europe, where industry and academia benefit from a vibrant community of exceptional talents, stimulating collaborations, added value services and an unrivalled quality of life. Nasri Nahas, Chief Executive Officer of Biopôle, stated: “StartLab fulfils a clear need in our region to provide a tailor-made incubator for life sciences entrepreneurs. Our research shows that startups place a high value on ready to use equipped laboratories, shared offices, and an innovative pay-as you play model with less funds needed to start which reduces risk for entrepreneurs and investors. StartLab also offers young aspiring business creators a network of experts with whom they can learn new skills, together with the dynamic Biopôle ecosystem of multinationals, SMEs, and research groups that will accompany them as they transform their ideas into a valuable reality.”
Professor Nouria Hernandez, Rector of the University of Lausanne, and Board member of Biopôle,commented: “The transition from the academic world to industry is crucial and often difficult. 95 percent of students will go into the non-academic world and as a leading academic institution it is our responsibility to help our students succeed. StartLab will enable researchers to take the bold step of moving out of the academic environment into an incubator designed to optimize their chances of creating a successful startup. They will develop an entrepreneurial mind-set and experience the realities of the business world, while benefiting from the Biopôle life science community where ideas cross boundaries, generations and disciplines.”
Opening in Q1 2018
Applications are now open for aspiring life science entrepreneurs to join StartLab. Their projects will be screened by an Advisory Board of successful leaders from business, science and academia. It is planned for the first selected members to move into the StartLab facilities in Q1 2018.
Based in Lausanne, Biopôle offers a world-class combination of infrastructure, added value services, living space and community engagement where partners can thrive and bring science to life. While Biopôle is open to all therapeutic areas, the main focus is on developing innovative solutions in the fields of oncology, immunology, personalized medicine and nutritional health. Today over 1,200 professionals from over 30 nations enjoy a range of world-class facilities across ~80,000 m2 of landscape, which will include another 36,000 m2 of offices and laboratories in the period 2018-2020. Biopôle’s partners are able to benefit from cutting-edge expertise in certain disciplines, such as purchasing, finance, legal services, commercial development, communication, marketing and training.
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