Vouchers give health SMEs access to €6K of top class laboratory services

Funding opportunity

FASILIS, a European project designed to stimulate innovation in the human health marketplace, is inviting SMEs in biotechnology, pharmacy and medical biology to apply for financial vouchers that will give them access to top quality international research and development facilities and their services across Europe.

FASILIS (Facility Sharing in Life Sciences) is an international project that aims to stimulate connections between SMEs and a European network of public and private research facilities in six participating regions in the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Germany and Denmark.

Between the 10th of March and 21st of May 2010, applications are invited from any SME or start-up company based in one of the participating regions. The FASILIS voucher scheme is designed to give qualifying SMEs access to a far wider range of research and development facilities than is currently available to them, broadening their contacts, networks and competencies.

Each voucher issued by FASILIS is worth €6,000 and may be used to buy services from a facility provider in one of the other FASILIS partner regions. Such services are typically expected to include access to equipment, analytical services, research projects, clinical trials, product design / prototype manufacture, or technical training.

“This initiative is designed to give innovative companies a real helping hand, particularly where they need certain types of support or dedicated expertise but don’t have the more sizeable resources of larger organisations,” says David Parry, CEO, of the South East Health Technologies Alliance, one of the FASILIS partners involved in the voucher project.

Vouchers cover 100 per cent of the costs of the service provided by the facility. If the cost of the service exceeds €6,000, it is possible to combine the voucher with additional budgets. Each region will be issuing 15 vouchers to successful applicants.

The facility provider must be located within the participating regions, but not in the same geographic location as the business. Any university, hospital (R&D), public or private research centre or company included in the online catalogue of approved FASILIS providers. It is also possible to suggest a facility to the FASILIS team.

To apply for a voucher or to find out more about this initiative, an application form will be included in the Call for Applications which will be available on the FASILIS website from March 10, 2010 onwards.