France’s historical contribution to medical research is almost unparalleled globally, with 13 winners of the annual Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, and even more for Chemistry. Most famously, Louis Pasteur’s work on germ theory and pasteurisation in the 19th century laid the groundwork for much of what we know about microbiology, vaccination, and food safety today. Institut Pasteur, which continues to bear his name, has been a core node in global vaccine, virology, and outbreak response for over a century, and in the 1980s was the first institution to identify the HIV virus.
Almost as significantly, Marie and Pierre Curie’s work on radioactivity in the early 20th century unlocked radiotherapy, a true paradigm-shift for cancer care. Today, Institut Curie continues this legacy as one of the leading hubs in Europe for basic research into the causes of cancer, development of next-generation oncology treatments, and specialist care for many of the most complex and rare forms of the disease.
“Upstream, France’s research fundamentals are really encouraging,” observes Didier Véron, president of G5 Santé, a strategic think tank grouping together the global CEOs of the country’s eight most influential life science companies. “Our country benefits from an exceptionally profound and robust academic research base, prolific public-private collaboration, and exceptional training across its medical, pharmaceutical, and engineering schools.”
However, translating a spectacular scientific heritage into products, technologies, and companies that truly impact patients is always challenging. In an attempt to better bridge the gap between lab and patients in France, in 2021 the French government launched a EUR 7.5 billion Healthcare Innovation 2030 plan. The plan aims to cement the country as the leading European nation for health innovation and has provided EUR one billion for research clusters and EUR 2.1 billion allocated specifically to industrialise healthcare start-ups.
Industry reaction has thus far been largely positive “The France 2030 programme, and specifically its Health Innovation pillar, are starting to reinforce our existing strengths,” notes Véron. “This channelling of targeted investment into priority areas – among them the R&D of next-generation biomedicine, digital health infrastructure, infectious disease preparedness, and the re-localisation of production capacity – will undoubtedly elevate performance, while the establishment of a dedicated French Health Innovation Agency (AIS) has also brought much-needed strategic coherence to the national innovation agenda,” he believes.
“France can already be considered a world beater in the development of rare disease therapies, constituting some 21 percent of the in-country biotech pipeline, as well as for oncology which accounts for around a quarter of our biotech. Meanwhile, French research output is among the strongest in this part of the world, with institutions such as CNRS, INSERM, and the Université Paris Cité placing us within the continent’s top four patent holders in life sciences,” adds Laurent Lafferrère, director general of France Biolead, an institution designed to accelerate the country’s progress in bioproduction.
Nonetheless, he agrees that the new funding envelope and strategic prioritisation have the potential to be transformative. “Our patent analysis demonstrates that French innovation already spans almost every therapeutic domain, from antibodies to cell and gene therapies, reflecting a remarkable scientific breadth. However, systemic challenges still exist in translating that enormous scientific potential into industrial capacity, which is why recent initiatives to further structure this space have been so welcome,” he argues.
Bio-clusters
Unveiled by President Macron five years ago, the French Innovation 2030 strategy mandated the creation of five world-class hubs of excellence known as ‘bio-clusters’ – spanning the specific areas of oncology, immunotherapy, infectious disease, neurology, and gene therapies respectively – each of which were designed to convert medical research into industrial value and are now showing signs of taking shape and bearing fruit.
Frederic Revah, president of GenoTher, the cell and gene therapy themed bio-cluster located in Évry-Courcouronnes, charts the progress made. “We received a public funding envelope of EUR 70 million over five years, supplemented by private commitments that bring the total to roughly EUR 140 million, which has enabled us to assemble a full set of manufacturing platforms required for advanced therapies, from viral and non-viral vectors to gene editing, organoid systems and next-generation bioprocess technologies,” he explains. “Few countries have an initiative of comparable scale, and it reflects real determination on the part of the State to secure a leadership position in gene medicine.”
The cluster is anchored by major French institutions. Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and the Institut Imagine provide a complete translational environment that links basic discovery, clinical investigation and patient care. Meanwhile, Genethon, the lab known for producing the World’s first maps of the human genome, acts as a founding pillar alongside partners such as Spark Therapeutics, Nava Therapeutics, and several universities and academic groups adding further depth. “Essentially what we have managed to build is a national resource capable of accelerating the next wave of gene therapy programmes by assisting both established teams and early-stage innovators through a mix of shared infrastructure, clinical design support, access to clinical investigation centres, patient data capabilities, training programmes and structured access to international investors,” recounts Revah.
Such levels of comprehensiveness have meanwhile been mirrored across the other four sister clusters. Brain & Mind, the country’s inaugural national hub for neuroscience product development has already successfully aggregated more than 40 strategic partners encompassing major industry groups, preventive healthcare organisations, hospitals, research institutes, and venture capital firms.
“Primarily, we have sought to mutualise technological resources across sectors, founded on our fundamental belief that neuroscience constitutes a singular, integrated field rather than disparate disciplines. Our approach positions neurology, psychiatry, and sensory disorders under one operational framework when developing accelerated product development methodologies. This aggregation enables us to achieve critical mass in terms of expertise, existing technological platforms, and patient populations,” details Alexis Genin, the bio-cluster’s CEO.
The logic is that, by pooling expertise and resources together under a single umbrella, the cluster has managed to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. “We managed to cultivate an environment where patient associations from neurology and psychiatry participate not merely for symbolic representation but because they contribute valuable ideas and facilitate patient mobilisation for clinical trial participation. Basic scientists, whilst sometimes not interested in direct product development, appreciate access to substantial shared data resources, which we provide through our biomarker platforms encompassing digital and wet biomarkers. Pharmaceutical companies, for their part, recognise extensive pre-competitive collaboration opportunities beyond their competitive domains,” Genin reasons.
Benjamin Garel, CEO of the Paris-Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC), the bio-cluster dedicated to oncology, feels that his new structure has managed to fill in some important gaps within a rich therapeutic segment where France’s immense innovation intensity was already globally renowned. “Our cluster rests upon the strength of several major institutions. Three hospitals form its clinical core: Gustave Roussy, widely recognised internationally and particularly in the United States; Institut Curie; and AP-HP, which brings together all of Paris’s public hospitals. These centres have long been accustomed to working with large pharmaceutical groups, but they are less familiar with start-ups. Consequently, one of our most pressing responsibilities has been to identify promising young companies and connect them with these hospitals, enabling partnerships that might not otherwise ever take place,” he recalls.
Presently, work is underway on a site that will eventually cover 100,000 m² of offices and laboratories, offering space for start-ups, CROs, CDMOs, and large pharmaceutical companies, creating an environment where academic and private laboratories operate side by side, enabling collaboration at every stage of development. The facilities range from plug-and-play benches for researchers leaving academia to larger laboratories, animal facilities, and long-term office leases for maturing and more established entities.
“France boasts an outstanding scientific base in oncology, ranking second worldwide in terms of publications, but this strength does not yet translate into commercial and patient impact at the same scale, and this is the gap that we are endeavouring to close,” explains Garel.
“PSCC is unique in that we accompany innovation throughout its journey. Our guiding principle is to help every start-up reach a successful Phase II trial as quickly as possible, recognising that beyond that stage, most will be working with large pharmaceutical partners. Moreover, we attach great importance to ecosystem animation,” he confides.
“Recognising that innovation depends not solely on facilities and data, but also upon networks, we act as matchmakers, accelerating the creation of connections between academia, industry, and finance, and ensuring that start-ups can quickly access the knowledge and resources required to advance their projects.”
On the Radar of Big Pharma
Supported by these policies, France’s burgeoning biotech landscape has been attracting significant interest from big and midcap Pharma in the past few years. “In the recent past, we’ve seen Mablink, created from research at the University of Lyon, being acquired by Lilly, and Amolyt Pharma, which had reached Phase III development, being snapped up by AstraZeneca, while a new crop of exciting start-ups like MaaT Pharma and Osivax are scaling fast and could be next,” reflects Teddy Breyton, Lyonbiopôle’s general manager.
“France sits right at the heart of our innovation strategy, and this is reflected in the partnerships we have struck with several leading French biotechs. It’s really a no-brainer when so much great science is emanating from the home market. A recent example is our planned acquisition of ImCheck Therapeutics in Marseille,” reveals Dominique Bery, general manager at Ipsen.
Celine Khalife, vice president and general manager for France and BeLux at Alexion reinforces this sentiment. “The acquisition of the bone metabolism and rare endocrine disease focused biotech, Amolyt Pharma, by our parent company is a meaningful milestone for us and a very strong affirmation of the scientific capability that exists in France,” she argues.
“The transaction, valued at up to USD 1.05 billion, stands among the most significant biotech acquisitions in France in recent years. It reflects our willingness to invest in high-quality science and support French innovation when it aligns with our rare-disease strategy. Moreover, it showcases the magnificent global potential of French research,” she adds.
Comprehensive Foundations
Underscoring the bio-clusters are numerous competitiveness campuses and bio-parks designed to host and nurture an optimal broader biotech ecosystem. Genopole, comprising 17 research laboratories and around 1000 scientists, conducting both fundamental and applied research across biomedicine, genomics, bioeconomy and agri-tech, serves as an illustration. “We play a central role hosting Genother, providing the necessary infrastructure and platforms to support fundamental and applied research, ensuring that the equipment and expertise required to demonstrate, validate, and scale innovations are in place,” explains Gilles Trystram, the bio-park’s CEO.
At the core of Genopole’s approach is the cultivation of an enabling environment that integrates scientific expertise, infrastructure, and human capital. Uniting expertise from across different disciplines, we equip companies with access to skilled personnel, targeted training, and networks that facilitate scaling, market access, and strategic partnerships with larger organisations. This support unleashes smaller companies to validate ideas, confront alternative approaches, and mature efficiently, while maintaining flexibility and innovation,” he elaborates.
The sprawling Lyonbiopôle competitiveness hub – which is home to over 275 companies and houses BCF21, France’s dedicated infectious disease bio-cluster – performs a broadly similar function. “Building upon our long-standing regional strengths in infectiology and more latterly expanding out into oncology and neurology, we prioritise preventing promising life science biotechs from falling into the so-called ‘valley of death,’ by providing a winning mix of scientific and technical support, entrepreneurial guidance, financing advice, and strong network connectivity,” details Erick Lelouche, the structure’s president. “Large companies remain profoundly interested in this ecosystem because we help identify emerging gems. Those that succeed may eventually be acquired by major groups seeking to further develop their innovations,” he adds.
Nor should one overlook the increasingly prominent part assigned to academia. “The conventional separation between fundamental research at universities, clinical research within hospitals, and industrial research led by companies simply no longer reflects how contemporary innovation actually progresses. Our objective in Lyon is therefore to ensure continuity across these three domains, with clinical research acting as a central interface between scientific discovery, technological development, and patient care,” opines Raymond Le Moign, director general of the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL), France’s second largest university hospital trust.
HCL has thus assembled integrated research structures such as the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, which deliberately unite clinicians and researchers together across virology, immunology, and translational science. This proximity allows fundamental research questions to be shaped by clinical realities and translated more directly into applied research that informs medical decision-making. “We believe that a university hospital only fulfils its mission when it acts as a place of convergence. Researchers need access to clinicians to ground their work in real medical needs. Companies need the hospital to test ideas and the university to explore them upstream, “ argues Le Moign.
“Many of our clinicians simultaneously hold academic roles, which naturally bridges these worlds. Future research will therefore not be conceived as a standalone activity, but rather as an integral part of a collective ecosystem, designed to turn scientific knowledge into tangible benefits for patients,” he affirms.
Bana Jabri, director of Institut Imagine, a University Hospital Institute that aligns research, healthcare and teaching, very much concurs. “Industry’s increasing emphasis on risk reduction has created a widening gap between basic research and clinical development. Pharmaceutical companies are demanding progressively lower-risk profiles, sometimes requiring phase I safety data before engaging with academic discoveries. This shift places academic institutions in an increasingly critical position within the innovation ecosystem. We are being asked to assume greater responsibility for translating basic discoveries into clinically viable therapeutics,” she reports.
Jabri believes that France, with its vast array of globally acclaimed universities and scientific institutes is well placed to navigate this emerging trend but warns that return-on-investment frameworks will need to be adapted to reflect academia’s growing contribution to pharmaceutical innovation.
“Institutions like ours are increasingly responsible for the most challenging aspects of drug development – target identification, mechanism validation, and early-stage clinical translation – while pharmaceutical companies focus on later-stage clinical trials and commercialisation. The checkpoint inhibitor example illustrates this dynamic: academic researchers working on immune tolerance identified the molecular targets, demonstrated proof-of-concept in animal models, and provided the scientific foundation for what became a multi-billion-dollar therapeutic category. Future partnerships must acknowledge this reality and create mechanisms for academic institutions to fully participate in the value creation process,” she insists.
France’s research apparatus does indeed boast numerous breakthrough medical advancements and continues to spawn commercial success stories. For instance, the Institut Vision, a translational research capability located within the Quinze-Vingts National Ophthalmology Hospital, achieved a world-first in optogenetic therapy. “We had been working on vision restoration in blind patients harnessing gene therapy to introduce an opsin gene from green algae into these surviving retinal neurons. One of the big unknowns had been whether the immune system would tolerate this algae-derived protein, which is completely foreign to the human body, but it did, and the patient retained vision capabilities post-treatment,” recalls Serge Picaud, the institute’s Director.
A spin-off entity, GenSight Biologics, was created to advance the therapy through clinical trials and commanded positive early results, becoming a listed company in the process. “In fact, to date, the institute has generated no less than fifteen ophthalmology-focused start-ups operating under the principle that, when suitable partners do not exist, we create them. This approach ensures optimal alignment between research objectives and commercial development priorities,” confirms Picaud.
GenSight Biologics, meanwhile, drawing heavily on clinicians from Quinze-Vingts and the Institut de la Vision is now pressing ahead with advancing with a long-awaited and pioneering candidate treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, a devastating mitochondrial disorder that causes rapid and irreversible vision loss. “Virtually all our technology and intellectual property has originated from within this renowned academic ecosystem,” declares the biotech’s CEO Laurence Rodriguez. “France’s greatest strength unquestionably lies in the excellence of its scientific institutions, researchers and clinicians,” declares. Our long-standing relationship with the Institut perfectly encapsulates this advantage,” she asserts.
