We participated in the Southern France business tour held by Eurobiomed, a LINK-J partner and a life science organization in Southern France, together with LINK-J members. We went to Nice on Thursday, March 15, 2018, and Marseille on Friday, March 16, 2018. In addition to LINK-J members, 15 people from life science-related companies, such as pharmaceuticals, ventures and CRO in Japan and the U.S., also participated in the tour.
Thursday, March 15, 2018, Nice
On the first morning, in Nice, a presentation on the French business environment was held, followed by a BtoB session with local companies. At the latter, three 30-minute sessions were held. A total of 15 tables were prepared and 25 researchers and people from businesses in Nice and the surrounding areas participated.
In the afternoon, we visited Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, listened to an explanation about the outline of the institute and took a guided tour of the facilities.
Later, we rode the bus for two hours to Marseille, and a reception was held by Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) regional organization at night. Members of the European Parliament selected from the regions, the Consulate General of Japan and the Consulate General of the United States were invited as guests, and each delivered a welcome speech.
Friday, March 16, 2018, Marseille
On the second day, in Marseille, the second part of the presentation on the French business environment was held. It was followed by a BtoB session with the participation of about 40 people and researchers from Marseille and surrounding areas, as on the previous day.。
We moved to the Luminy district in the afternoon. First, we visited the Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Lumin, and received an overview.
Next, we visited Marseille Immunôpole monoclonal antibodies in the same area, received an explanation of the activities and toured the facilities.
This tour was well-received by the Japanese participants. They commented, "Southern France is one of the three great life science clusters in France, which has strengths in immunology. However, there are few opportunities to visit, so I am happy to have experienced the latest information in this tour", "Many French companies and researchers participated in the BtoB session, and it was very meaningful" and "We were able to develop relationships that will be helpful in the future."
We will continue to provide opportunities to connect clusters around the world with LINK-J members.
