Life science must become one of France's strategic development axes, says France Biotech

France Biotech, the French association of life science companies and its partners have unveiled proposals for the use of money raised by the French state's National Loan ("Grand Emprunt").

'The French government's National Loan is an opportunity that we must seize if biotech is to become a major economic driver for the next 50 years. We advise against the creation of a new, resource-consuming organization for distributing the money raised by the National Loan. In fact, existing institutions should be improved and reinforced. Our objective is to see funding focused on the major high-potential scientific and business sectors in which France has the skills to be a global leader. France needs to seize its place in the leading pack of life science specialists,' emphasized France Biotech chairman Andre Choulika.

The French life science industry is now maturing, with plenty of promising projects and fast-growing companies which act as true drivers for long-term economic growth nationwide (with other 50,000 jobs (source: OECD)). For example, the drug development pipeline is expanding rapidly. However, this situation contrasts with a cyclic, but worrying, 79% drop in investment.

France Biotech's proposals for funding a number of strategic priorities are as follows:

1 Reinforce and expand France's National Research Agency (ANR) to promote excellence in academic research;

2 Restoring OSEO Innovation's budget and then tripling it to reach 2 billion euros ($2.99 billion); and
3 Concentrate significant resources on four high-priority sectors -

Stem cells (key for drug development and regenerative medicine). This sector should receive 500 million euros in funding per year over five years;
Biofuels (not with plants but notably with micro-organisms - micro-algae, fungi and bacteria). This sector should receive 700 million euros in funding per year over five years;
Complex implantable devices (emerging market). This sector should receive 600 million euros in funding per year over five years; and
Therapeutic vaccines (demand for novel vaccines should double by 2012). This sector should receive 800 million euros in funding per year over five years.