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Biotechnologies in Haute-Savoie

A healthy industry...

The region is the historical cradle of the living sciences due to the dynamism of some great antecedents who, from the first discoveries by Pasteur, established bridges between veterinary medicine and human medicine, between the hospital environment and the industrial environment. The region naturally became the place for the emergence of numerous technological advances. It is now a world benchmark for medical innovation. For over a decade, in Haute-Savoie and with the backing of the Conseil Général [General Council], businesses, research centres and university sites have devoted most of their efforts to work relating to the biotechnologies applied to healthcare. More recently we have seen representatives of environmental biotechnology establish themselves here. The opening of the Archamps BioPark, a cross-border technological platform accommodating French and Swiss researchers, in both the public and private sectors, has further contributed to the development of this new field that is full of promise for Haute-Savoie, which still only represents 2% of the field in Rhône-Alpes, the great majority of companies active in this kind of activity being grouped around Lyon. At this site there are laboratories and technical centres of expertise in cell biology, in vivo imaging and animal houses. Adjoining the BioPark platform, a biotech nursery is being completed. Its mixed premises (offices and fitted laboratories) are intended for use by young enterprises in the start-up or development phase, typically having completed an initial fund-raising exercise.

40 is the number of companies counted by INSEE in this sector in Haute-Savoie. For over 90% of these there are fewer than 10 employees (Addex Pharmaceuticals, Advanced BioDesign, Allergan, Animascope, Bayer Santé Familiale, Centre d’immunologie Pierre Fabre, Dermadis, Laboratoire AGIM, Laboratoire Galderma, CellMade, Cerma, Genomic, Maat G-Knowledge, Geneuro…).