GENOPOLE – EVRY

Why set up your business at Genopole?

Genopole is a hub for scientific, technological and industrial research and innovation, centred in Évry-Courcouronnes, bringing together activities in the life sciences and bioengineering – particularly in synthetic biology, genomics and industrial biotechnology – across the Île-de-France region.

Genopole is France’s leading, internationally renowned site for the establishment of laboratories and biotechnology companies in the health and environmental sectors. The ecosystem offers premises tailored to biotech innovation: laboratories and offices, as well as 24 shared state-of-the-art technology platforms. It covers all the evolving property needs of a biotechnology company, from laboratory benches to spaces exceeding 1,000 m².

Genopole’s structure

Genopole is a biocluster covering more than 100,000 m² and dedicated to biotechnology companies, research laboratories and shared facilities. Working in collaboration with the Essonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) and SEM Genopole, the biocluster offers a range of tailored property solutions within an environment conducive to the growth of biotechnology companies.

SEM Genopole is responsible for managing a portfolio of office and laboratory premises built on Genopole’s Campuses 1, 3 and 5. The Essonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) provides start-ups with an incubator comprising offices and L1 and L2 laboratories. The Genopole GIP manages a portfolio of properties intended for companies at any stage of development or for public laboratories under the supervision of academic bodies, such as the CEA, the CNRS, Inserm, the University of Évry, INRAE, etc.

Some key figures:

• 78 biotechnology companies
• 16 academic laboratories
• 23 shared technology platforms

Location of Genopole

Genopole is situated in Évry-Courcouronnes and enjoys a prime location close to major roads, motorways and public transport links. The RER D Bras de Fer / Genopole station is less than a 10-minute walk away.

Road links:

• Paris–Lyon A6 motorway
• Paris–Menton N7
• The Francilienne N104

Rail links:

• RER D – (Genopole branch) less than 10 minutes’ walk away
• Evry-Courcouronnes station, 15 minutes away
• Massy TGV station, 25 minutes away
• Paris Gare de Lyon: 40 minutes away

Air links:

• Paris Orly Airport, 20 minutes away
• Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, 50 minutes away

Two new facilities to help you scale up your bioproduction

Two new platforms are now available to meet the scaling-up objectives of start-ups, as well as the ad hoc needs of SMEs, mid-cap companies and research centres.

Gate X, a bioproduction platform up to pre-industrial scale, comprises:

• A culture medium preparation laboratory, equipped to handle industrial-grade ingredients
• A bacterial or yeast pre-culture room for initiating cultures in precision fermenters
• A high-throughput screening laboratory with a robotic pipettor and a Biolector XT microfermenter, capable of testing up to 960 culture conditions
• A facility for progressive scale-up to 20 litres, featuring Multifors 2 mini-fermenters, Biostat B (2–5 L) and Biostat C Plus (20 L)

Protopia, for formulating, testing and prototyping finished products in the cosmetics, agri-food and health and nutrition sectors, comprises:

• Analytical and formulation workstations
• Microbiology and L2 culture laboratories
• A food preparation area
• 5 units, each measuring 10 m²

Genopole also acts as an incubator and promotes various programmes

Upscale Bio is an acceleration programme designed to help biotechnology companies scale up to industrial and commercial levels, focusing on innovations with high potential in healthcare (innovative therapies, diagnostics, data science, etc.) and the bioeconomy (foodtech, agtech, greentech, etc.). Upscale Bio is open throughout the year to French or international companies, whether or not they are based at Genopole, that are at the post-seed stage.

Shaker Programme: This programme, offered via a call for applications, provides an opportunity for innovators in the field of biotechnology (health, environment, agtech/foodtech, bioindustry) to receive support in setting up a start-up.

Gene.IO Programme: Gene.IO is aimed at biotechnology companies seeking initial funding or a commercial agreement. Successful companies gain access to a shared Open Lab: a laboratory bench and access to the incubator’s technological equipment.

ATIGE Programme: This grant is aimed at research projects in the fields of genomics, post-genomics, biotherapy, bioinformatics and biophysics. This support, lasting for a maximum of three years, is intended to assist researchers holding a post within a public research organisation.