Another tool to support
MedVallée.
Montpellier BIC has created a new program that is entirely designed for people with innovative projects in the health sector. Called “
Start Lab Santé” (Health Lab Start), the program is open to s
tudents, researchers, and PhD candidates as well as managers of innovative companies in business less than a year. Its goal is to give people the keys they need to structure the first phases of their project.
Selected topics are therefore entirely specific to the
healthcare sector, covering regulations, market access, business models, project financing, as well as the basics of intellectual property protection, legal foundations for start-ups, and rules for preparing a successful pitch.
Taking place over
four weeks at the Montpellier BIC facility, this expert program alternates between group sessions (four days total) and individual sessions (four appointments) for two days each week. A day of meetings is scheduled with innovation and financing stakeholders in the health sector, along with a master class featuring entrepreneurs and a project pitch to the region’s business ecosystem. The program is free of charge for participants and is co-funded by
Montpellier Métropole, the
Occitanie Region, and the
European Social Fund.
The first edition of this new program ended recently. It ran from September 22 to November 8. Following a call for candidates, six projects from the
Montpellier University Hospital,
CNRS, and
University of Montpellier were selected.
One conclusion is clear: participants are completely satisfied with the program that was offered to them.
“As we are in the process of creating our new entity, Start Lab Santé raised our awareness about the crucial points of establishing our structure and future developments, including regulatory strategy, various mechanisms and approaches related to fundraising, not to mention the essential work we did on our presentation pitch to better highlight our project,” confirms Jean-Baptiste, one of the participants, whose project focuses on developing and marketing innovative technologies for early cancer detection.
“The Start Lab Santé program was a great training tool for healthcare professionals with an innovative spirit. Thanks to the interventions of experts and support from Montpellier BIC teams, we enhanced our professional expertise with cross-functional skills that are essential for managing ambitious innovative projects,” adds the Montpellier University Hospital anesthesiologist and intensive care physician, who is also the leader of another selected project supported by the hospital’s innovation extractor.
A third project leader concluded: “My global health innovation project had just emerged from its so-called early stage, and we were in the process of defining the most efficient roadmap to pursue the next steps. The Start Lab Santé program helped me acquire a “meta” perspective regarding regulatory, legal, economic, and organizational barriers, while benefiting from the advice and contacts of experts and stakeholders in the field. Some of my assumptions were dismantled and we are currently reviewing our development scenarios in light of the lessons we learned.
We look forward to seeing you in Q2 2023 for the next edition, which will focus on a national approach!
