Biocitech, the Paris life sciences technology park, and AP-HP, the organization that includes 37 Paris hospitals, announced  that they have signed a cooperation agreement. The agreement was signed at the ninth annual APinnov technology transfer conference in Paris, by Mireille Faugere, MD of AP-HP and Jean-Francois Boussard, Biocitech president.

Together, the two partners intend to accelerate the creation and scientific development of early-stage life sciences enterprises. Those with projects to propose from AP-HP will be able to use premises at Biocitech, near central Paris, on favorable terms while Biocitech residents will have special access to technological innovations originating in AP-HP. Agreements will cover areas such as technology transfer, co-development or clinical development.

There will be a joint development and oversight committee with representatives from OTTLIV, the technology transfer arm of AP-HP, and from Biocitech. They will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of joint actions. The committee will take decisions on companies moving into Biocitech with technology originating from AP-HP, on Biocitech residents wanting to access AP-HOP technology and on requests from Biocitech residents wishing to have their medicines evaluated in clinical trials at AP-HP.

Biocitech will make available to would-be entrepreneurs its highly developed structure of shared industry services including quality assurance, hygiene-safety-environment issues, engineering, regulatory approved installations and animal house facilities. Start-ups frequently have difficulty accessing these types of service and providing guarantees required by those who offer them. Biocitech can rent out secure premises with the latest technology in chemistry and biology including L1, L2 and L3 classes and clean rooms. Projects emerging from AP-HP will be able to enjoy facilities from their creation to maturity in the same place and in an environment that will help their development.

AP-HP’s clinicians are heavily involved in research and patient care and as a result frequently come up with innovative research projects and develop new approaches that can be patented and transferred to the commercial sector. Up to now, AP-HP has a portfolio of 442 patent families and continues to apply for more. AP-HP is the biggest organizer of clinical trials in France – ahead of big pharma – one of the biggest institutional organizers of clinical trials in the world and the biggest clinical research center in Europe. More than 2,800 clinical research projects were under way in 2011.

“As the technology transfer arm of AP-HP, we are passionate about aiding scientists who need help with their innovative projects,” said Florence Ghrenassia, director of OTTLIV. “We first point them towards incubators in companies who are partners of AP-HP. But it is always difficult for a young life science entrepreneur to find premises that are really suitable for his or her activity. That’s why we are extremely happy to sign this partnership with Biocitech, which offers high quality services and widens the selection of incubators that are already partners of AP-HP. Our budding companies can concentrate on developing the innovative projects originating in AP-HP.”

“This agreement will be beneficial for our residents as it creates a link with leading research at AP-HP and gives them access to the biggest clinical trials center in Europe,” said Jean-Francois Boussard, president of Biocitech. “We are looking forward to welcoming the first entrepreneurs from AP-HP and providing them with our shared state-of-the-art services and the campus effect created by our 27 residents working alongside each other with their complementary and synergetic activities.”