UNIGE and FONGIT strengthen startup support

Start-ups active in the life sciences, supported by FONGIT, can now benefit from privileged access to the research laboratories of the Science Innovation Hub. This university pre-incubator, which is part of the UNIGE’s innovation ecosystem, aims to help researchers exploit the commercial potential of their fundamental research. «This partnership will enable Geneva’s most promising start-ups to benefit from first-rate research conditions capable of fostering the emergence of flagships while rationalizing investments,» says Jérôme Lacour, dean of the UNIGE’s Faculty of Sciences.

Facilitated financing for UNIGE and HUG spin-offs

Emerging spin-offs from the UNIGE and the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) who have been able to benefit from the INNOGAP grant of 30,000 francs offered by Unitec, the technology and skills transfer office of the UNIGE, the HUG and the HES-SO Geneva, will now have accelerated access to the additional funding of 50,000 francs offered by the FONGIT Innovation Fund. For Laurent Miéville, director of Unitec, «this double boost to our promising young spin- offs will enable them to perfect their product more quickly».

The INNOGAP grants support researchers from the UNIGE or the HUG in their efforts to advance their scientific discoveries towards a concrete application. For Antonio Gambardella, Director of FONGIT, «the objective is to promote and enhance the research carried out within our academic centers of excellence to contribute - through innovative entrepreneurship - to creating the economy and jobs of tomorrow».

Created at the beginning of 2021, the FIF is a financing tool resulting from the collaboration between FONGIT and the State of Geneva. The objective of this fund is to accelerate the growth of Geneva-based technological innovation projects. It offers grants of up to CHF 50,000 for scientific research projects aimed at launching a new product, process, or service that meets a social or economic need and has a potential market.

For the past 10 years, INNOGAP has been supporting researchers from the UNIGE and the HUG in their efforts to advance their scientific discoveries towards a practical application.

FluoSphera, the first start-up to be supported

FluoSphera, a spin-off of the University of Geneva, was recently awarded an INNOGAP grant of CHF 30,000 and was quickly awarded a complementary grant of CHF 50,000 from the FONGIT Innovation Fund. FluoSphera is active in the life sciences and uses the precision of fluorescent light to measure several biological processes in different cell types simultaneously. The start- up, which benefited from the Science Innovation Hub’s pre-incubation program and has now joined FONGIT’s life sciences incubation program, will continue to benefit from access to the Science Innovation Hub’s laboratories, accelerating its development towards the market.

(Press release / ES)

On picture: Grégory Ségala and Marie Shamseddin, FluoSphera co-founders in the ACCESS Geneva facilities of the UNIGE Faculty of Science.