We aim to teach students in multidisciplinary programs at the interfaces of biology, engineering, basic sciences and computer sciences. Our purpose is also to merge biological research and rich technology environment, and to bring together scientists from different horizons and expertise to develop new, innovative approaches to tackle health and societal challenges of our time.
A significant obstacle, for the development of early-stage university discoveries, is the lack of funding and mainly the lack of R&D expertise for accomplishing the proof-of-concept and validation studies needed to demonstrate commercial potential.
This issue is enhanced by the lack of knowledge and expertise in the academic community on the complex R&D process required for life sciences projects. This often results into promoting misplaced priorities, at the wrong timing, on technological development, especially in the context of university translational research and/or early startups establishment.
Without a solution, particularly in the life sciences sector, where attrition rates and risk profiles are high, most promising technologies and start-ups are slowed down or have difficulty developing on a path of less resistance towards a sub-optimal objective.
Catalyze4Life provides R&D expertise and network, funding, business development support and industrial network, to help validating technologies and identifying potential industry partners, thus help advancing these technologies towards technology transfer and the marketplace.
We want to contribute to the technological advancement of innovation projects in the life sciences, which are based on reproducible research of excellence and high application potential. For this purpose we support projects by offering :
- Industry expertise seminars and R&D workshops
- Project identification, selection and monitoring support
- Design advice for attractive prototypes for the POC industry
- Enabling partnering and networking, with industry design and promoting Life Sciences Innovation projects and initiatives
- Start Upping
- Fundraising to secure a long term Life Sciences Innovation support
- Quality and International Visibility
- Technology prospection, diligence, selection: identify and guide innovative LS technologies to industry POC (Proof Of Concept)
- Offer industrial R&D expertise and network to establish LS drug and technology development strategies
- Offer professional business expertise to support early startup initiatives and mentor early entrepreneurs
- Facilitate partnering and networking, with industry to enhance technology transfer
- Fundraiseto potentially secure a long term LS Innovation with not only EPFL internal resources
- Expertise knowledge building via organization of industry expertise seminars and workshops to promote innovation
- CoachingLife sciences startup initiatives at EPFL (with InnosuisseBusiness Concept)