Chiesi outlined that the decision to sponsor BioInnovation Labs was made through a strategic innovation unit that it had recently created.
The unit was set up to evaluate therapeutic modalities emerging from academia and research institutes, as well as startups and biotechs, which could provide solutions for rare disease patients.
Chiesi recently expanded its capabilities in the rare disease space through the acquisition of Amryt Pharma, a biotech focused on the development of treatments for rare diseases.
The sponsorship allows Chiesi access to sponsored sites throughout the US, where it will be able to host office hours, workshops, and other onsite events for companies residing in their spaces.
BioLabs offers co-working locations, which provide lab and office space, for life science startups. The spaces are catered to smaller scale business, by offering lab spaces down to a single bench.
The partners state that Chiesi will be able to award two ‘Golden Tickets’ each year, which represent vouchers for coworking lab and office use privileges in BioLabs locations. The vouchers can be transferred to startups already working in the spaces or to those companies looking to relocate to the sites.
Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi, said, “With our global rare diseases division headquartered in the research hub of Boston, we are in an ideal location to serve as a preferred partner for early-stage companies in this region and beyond, particularly to those that are investigating new modalities. We are glad to establish this important sponsorship of BioLabs, with locations not only in the Boston area, but many other growing ecosystems, as we aim to identify and advance the development of new medicines.”
BioLabs has 12 locations within the US, including Boston, and three sites in Europe, which includes Paris and Saclay, in France, and Heidelberg, Germany. According to BioLabs, the organization has helped the formation or launch of more than 230 companies, since 2009.
Regarding its European locations, BioLabs had similarly signed a partnership deal with Novo Nordisk. The agreement sees Novo Nordisk agree to provide support and expertise to startups working in the spaces, with the ‘Golden Ticket’ offering also part of the deal.
Earlier this year, BioLabs announced that it was adding 30,000-square-feet of lab space in its Philadelphia location.
