French companies are gearing up to look out for strategic alliances and collaborative initiatives with Indian biotech companies at the Bangalore Bio 2006 to be held between June 7-9, 2006. There are 18 companies which will make their presence felt at the Biotech exposition. This is for the first time ever that the companies from France are participating at the event.

The key reason for participating is that France is positive about the fact that partnerships with India in the biotechnology field would be necessary primarily because it would benefit both countries, according to Bruno Rourt, scientific attaché of the French Embassy.

The companies participating in the Bangalore Bio are Actini, Alsace Development International (ADI), Altacare, Biovision Cerep, Challegne, Chemtox, Clestra Cleanroom, ID Bio, Institut Pasteur, Invivogen, Lessafre Et Cie, LFBm Peacel, Pierre Fabre, Polyplus Transfection, Transgene and i3reserch.

The foundation for French interest in the Indian biotech sector came about after the French Trade Commission and Ubifrance, the French agency for international business development took a delegation of Indian companies to Lille, France. This resulted in the 18 biotech companies to be present at a dedicated French Pavilion at the Bangalore Bio 2006 event. .

France was known for its sound tradition in the areas of fundamental and applied research. There is ample encouragement from the French government to support the sector. These include support in the form of tax credit for research to the tune of around Euro 8 million annually per company, The young innovator enterprise status company receives full exemption from pay roll taxes on employees in involved in R&D, and funding support of the OSEC Group (France's agency on innovation, informed Rouot.

There are several opportunities to enter into alliances with 400 biotech companies which had a pipeline of 195 candidates in therapeutic products. The Indian companies could also be a part of one of the seven world class healthcare clusters in France. In 2004, the life science sector receives 25 per cent of the annual Government budget grant that amounts to Euros 2.3 billion only for pure civilian R&D. It also provided a 'privilege point of entry' in the European market for bio drugs which was valued at Euro 2.2 billion.

In order to attract investment in France, the Invest in France Agency (IFA) is the national body responsible for promoting prospecting and facilitating of international investment. The Agency works in partnership with regional developments agencies to offer international investors potential business opportunities and customized services.

Actini will be offering complete solutions for the sterilization of bio-liquids. This company's expertise is in the implementation of large-scale treatment plants for bio-industries and is looking at partners to promote this concept in India.

ADI represents the biotech industries and the economic development authorities of the Alsace region of France. It is strategically located in the heart of the French, Swiss, and German markets commonly known as the Bio Valley, Alsace was selected as France's therapeutic innovation centre. There are over 200 life science companies representing more than 14,000 employees and 49 research labs, with 2,200 researchers and more than 62,000 students at universities which make the Alsace's life sciences cluster as one of the fastest growing in Europe.