30 April 2021, Munich – This year’s virtual BioVaria from 26 to 28 April brought together 250 life-science innovators to hear about the most exciting technologies and start-ups to emerge from publicly funded European research, and to initiate partnerships between science and business. With 75 licensable projects and 16 selected start-ups, this was the biggest portfolio ever presented at BioVaria. The virtual format allowed a greater number of live presentations via parallel streams, each followed by a moderated question and answer session. Industry representatives, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists and technology transfer experts enjoyed in-depth discussions that could be continued in one-on-one virtual, but nevertheless confidential, meetings. 70 research institutes, universities and university hospitals from 7 European countries contributed technologies to the portfolio, in close cooperation with the 16 technology transfer partners of this year’s BioVaria.
The Startup Pitch & Partner programme, with its pitching competition and individual speed-dating sessions for entrepreneurs and investors, met with considerable interest. The winners of this year’s BioVaria Startup Awards were the Italian start-up iRASP Therapeutics in the ‘Emerging’ category, and OrganoTherapeutics from Luxembourg in the ‘Rising’ category. Both beat six other selected start-ups, convincing a jury of experienced investors with their technologies and business models. iRASP Therapeutics has created a new platform for developing therapeutic antibodies against cancer. It allows tumour-specific antibodies to be identified unbiasedly, without prior knowledge of their target structures. OrganoTherapeutics is pursuing a new approach to the development of drugs for Parkinson’s disease. The start-up is using patient-specific models, so-called brain organoids, in order to identify therapeutic agents that can reverse brain-damaging processes.
‘We are delighted to receive this award. It motivates us to improve our organoid model in order to discover new therapies for Parkinson’s disease,’ said Prof. Jens C. Schwamborn, cofounder and CEO of OrganoTherapeutics.
‘We are thrilled to be selected for the Biovaria Emerging Startup Award. The award provides us with important recognition of our start-up concept and will help to launch our endeavour towards developing novel innovative antibody therapeutics,’ stated Dr Paul E Massa, Lead Scientist of iRASP Therapeutics.
A welcome and popular addition to this year’s programme was a satellite workshop on controversial issues in European patent law. An experienced patent examiner from the European Patent Office shared his professional viewpoint on patenting computer-implemented innovations, such as AI-supported life-science technologies.
Ascenion is particularly grateful to all partners, sponsors, speakers, moderators and participants who ensured the success of this virtual BioVaria.
Short descriptions of all the technologies and start-ups presented are available for all those interested on the BioVaria website. Registered participants can also watch the presentations of the technologies for up to 3 months after the event.
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Patron:
Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy
Sponsors:
BioM, Nova Biomedical, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung/ForTra gGmbH, Grünecker, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Pfizer, Rentschler Biopharma, HERTIN & Partner, Kador & Partner, VOSSIUS
Startup-Sponsors:
BaseLaunch, LSP
Technology transfer partners:
Ascenion, BayPAT, DZIF – Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, EMBLEM Technology Transfer, Health Turku, Innovectis, IOCB Tech, Lead Discovery Center, Max-Planck-Innovation, Netval, Oxford University Innovation, PROvendis, TransferAllianz, University of Pardubice, VIS, Wissenstransferzentrum Ost
Netzwok partners:
ASTP, BIO Deutschland, BioRN, LISAvienna
Communication sponsors:
Going Public, transkript
About BioVaria
BioVaria brings together leading tech transfer professionals, innovators from academia and startups with investors and representatives of the global biotech and pharma industry.
Key features of BioVaria:
- Unique gathering of Europe's top scientists, entrepreneurs, technology transfer professionals, investors and industry representatives
- Presentation of more than 70 licensable technologies and startups originating from public research institutions and universities across Europe
- Focus on patent-protected, commercially attractive opportunities covering therapeutics, diagnostics and research tools in the fields of cancer, infectious diseases, metabolism, autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders, and in other disease areas
- Startup Pitch & Partner program with a competition for the BioVaria Startup Award, one-on-one mentoring and startup-investor speed dating
- Ample space to discuss scientific details face-to-face with the inventors and entrepreneurs
- Jointly organized by Ascenion and a selected group of leading European technology transfer organizations
Further information and technologies: www.biovaria.org
About Ascenion
Ascenion is an independent technology transfer company focussing on the life sciences. It is partner to over 30 research organizations, universities and university hospitals in Germany and Europe, including life-science institutes of the Helmholtz and Leibniz Associations, the Charité, the Hannover Medical School, the Medical University of Innsbruck and the University Medical Center Göttingen. Ascenion’s multidisciplinary, industry-experienced team works closely with its partners to tap the potential of their research by identifying promising results, obtaining patent protection, and turning pure science into applied technology. Particular strengths are spin-off support and project development, where early-stage projects are transformed into assets that attract potential investors and licensees. This has led to the founding of numerous new companies and the transfer of innovative medical approaches into approved drugs, changing the lives of thousands of patients. Profits from Ascenion’s operative business and exit proceeds flow via its parent company, the LifeScience Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research, to fund further translational research at its partner institutes.
Further information at: www.ascenion.de
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Contact
Stanislava Zollner, Corporate Communication, Ascenion GmbH
zollner(at)ascenion(dot)de, +49 89 3188140