Grenoble-Isere, where life science meets exact science

A convergence of disciplines for life science

Thanks to the convergence of disciplines that are already highly developed in the area - notably medecine, biology, computing and micro and nanotechnology - Lyon and Grenoble aim to become one of the top five centres for biotechnology in Europe.

Grenoble-Isère has some impressive advantages in public research with major international facilities such as ESRF, ILL and EMBL. All or part of their work is dedicated to life science ersearch. Laboratories belonging or affiliated to CEA, CNRS, Inserm, Inra, Inria Rhône-Alpes, UJF and Grenoble's teaching hospital are working in partnership on topics in and around biocomputing, structural genomics and proteomics, cancerology, neuroscience, imaging and biochips.

The area's highly diversified industrial fabric - ranging from medical instrumentation to biotechnology through diagnostics and biochips - boasts 7,000 jobs. Companies include bioMérieux, BD, Fresenius, Patheon, Roche Diagnostics, SkyePharma and a large number of PMEs and start-ups.

Grenoble-Isère and the Rhône-Alpes environment

Rhône-Alpes is a leading environment cluster in bio-industry:

• 4 world leaders representing 70% of jobs (sanofi pasteur, Merial, bioMérieux and sanofi pasteur MSD)
• 20% of the French medical production
• 600 companies in biotechnologies for health, agrifood, environment and services
• 150 public research laboratories
• 4 international research centers : EMBL, ESRF, ILL and IARC
• 3 university teaching hospitals and 3 clinical trials centers

The bio and medical cluster of Grenoble-Isère represente 8,500 jobs for over 1 million inhabitants. The dynamism key comes from the high technological level of complementary research potential: physics, mathematics, electronics, computer science, robotics, molecular chemistry. This potentiel is essential and stands for the biomedical research and particularly the medical devices.

Biomedical industry relies on five activities: medical devices, medical electronics and informatics, biology, imaging and diagnostics. These activities generates an important number of innovating services.

In research, five international leading programs are present in the region: NanoBio in Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes Genopole, the Partnership for Structural Biology in Grenoble, the Canceropole Lyon-Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the Rhône-Alpes Neuropole.

A dynamic and vivid industry reliying on a large number of big pharmas, PMEs and start-ups, but also on a large number of foreign companies, in particular american ones, and on the variety of the activities and productions.

Players

• International leading companies: BD, bioMérieux, Finorga Synthelabo, Roche Diagnostics, SkyePharma, Thales Electron Devices, Patheon,...
• Innovating PMEs: Biomatech, Gessil, Phusis, Sober, ...
• Start-ups: Bio-Logic, Bioprofile, Creacell, Genome express, ImmunID, Mellitech, Praxim, Protein'Expert, Synapcell,...

Synergy for research players

 As a tradition in this field of activity, players associate and federate their energies in key research programs to become leaders at an international level. Here are examples of such initiatives:

• NanoBio, for the development of new micro and nano devices dedicated to life science
• Nano2Life, au european network of excellence
• Rhône-Alpes Genopole, the one stop shop for genomics, proteomics and functional exploration of genes
• Canceropole Lyon-Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a bridge between research and industry to fight against cancer
• LyonBiopole, the competitiveness cluster in vaccin and diagnostics
• The Partnership for Structural Biology, bringing together the research teams in structural bilogy of ESRF, ILL, IBS and EMBL
• Rhône-Alpes Neuropole, the neuroscience cluster: Grenoble Neuroscience Institute

ITW - Peter Kaspar and Yves Laurent, bioMérieux

Your AEPI contact: Joëlle SEUX