Provence hosts a joint USA-Japan delegation of health care companies

Two clusters, BIOCOM (USA) and LINK-J (Japan) have rallied their business networks.

On March 15 and 16, 2018, twenty American and Japanese health care companies will be visiting the Provence region in southern France. It is one of the largest foreign delegations ever to have been hosted by the French partners of the South Alliance*. From Nice to Marseille, the schedule includes meetings with many stakeholders in the industry as well as an introduction to locations in Provence dedicated to medical research excellence. Hosting this delegation is part of a strategy to attract and develop international collaboration. Alongside its partners, Provence Promotion will demonstrate to the companies that here they have everything they need to carry out their projects - just like the company Abreos Biosciences from San Diego which recently set up in Marseille. The doors are open to partnerships and they can also benefit from tailored support in setting up their subsidiaries or their R&D centers in Provence.

Twenty American and Japanese companies will soon visit Provence for an exclusive tour of the region around the theme of health care and its innovative sectors.

Eurobiomed, the competitive health cluster in the south of France and its two twin clusters, BIOCOM (USA) and LINK-J (Japan), have rallied their business networks to encourage collaboration between their respective regions and Provence.

BIOCOM, the second-largest health cluster in the United States which brings together 900 life sciences experts in California, has been collaborating with the region since 2014. As part of a cooperation agreement with Eurobiomed, it regularly contributes to group missions and puts Provencal companies in contact with those in its ecosystem.

The Japanese cluster LINK-J is also engaged in a similar approach. In June 2017 it signed a partnership agreement with Eurobiomed, on the very premises of the BIOCOM cluster, with which it has a close relationship. A more recent but promising project, LINK-J brought together innovative start-ups and SMEs that wanted to expand abroad and collaborate on R&D projects.

It was with these shared interests that ‘Bio Business Tour’ was created in Provence.

A mission to promote biotechnology and health care in Provence

Organized by members of the South Alliance, including ARII (Regional Agency for Innovation and Internationalization of Companies, Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur) and its partner the San Diego French-American Chamber of Commerce, the purpose of this mission is to facilitate partnerships and is based on a mutual desire to integrate new markets.

In order to benefit from constructive exchanges, the companies on this delegation were able to target their B2B meetings with 50 Provencal companies ahead of time, based on their interests.

At a speech at the Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce (Palais de la Bourse in Marseille), Provence Promotion will present the many advantages of Provence as a hub for biotechnology and health care companies:

• World renowned academic research,
• Quality research institutes,
• Many private laboratories,
• Innovative companies,
• And schemes that help develop the industry, such the Crédit d’Impôt Recherche (CIR), a major tax benefit supporting R&D.

Several key stakeholders in the industry will be involved over these two days.

On Thursday, March 15, the French Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (IPMC) will open the doors of its multi-themed biological research center in association with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Nice Sophia Antipolis University. On Friday March 16, it will be the turn of the Marseille-Luminy Immunology Center and the demonstrator MI-mAbs. As founding members of the Marseille Immunopole (MI), the French immunology cluster that brings together more than 2,000 health professionals, their visits will be a high point for this delegation. Their research and expertise aim to revolutionize the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases.

* the Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur Region, ARII, the Pôle Mer Méditerranée and Eurobiomed clusters, the economic development agencies Provence Promotion and Team Côte d’Azur, and the Var and International PACA CCIs (Chambers of Commerce).