Pharma-Biotech-Academia relationships: is Open Innovation the name of the game?
The latest innovations are increasingly stemming from joint development between companies on one hand and companies/universities on the other hand. But how do these players successfully manage their alliances, how do they cope with their differences in terms of expectations (ROI, IP, timelines, modes of evaluation of each players actions) in the frame of their collaborations? 
This BioFIT track will cover several parts of this vast field and particularly the following issues:

• Collaboration through open innovation: buzzword or a new paradigm?
• When pharma rediscovers the virtues of alliances with academia: trends, facts & figures
• Fostering academia/industry collaboration: which are the new funding schemes?
• How do biotechs enhance their portfolio through in-licensing from academic research?
• SME’s feedback on the pros & cons of Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI)

Recent trends in tech transfer & IP issues in the life sciences sector
The need to move towards the market faster and with lower transaction costs is growing. The traditional approaches of technology transfer practices have thus evolved and include patent pooling or technology bundling methods.
In this BioFIT track the panels of experts will share their knowledge and expertise on the following issues:

• Is outsourcing TTOs activities the best way to be efficient for universities?
• To spin or not to spin: on which basis do TTOs choose the best transfer channel?
• Collaborative R&D: an efficient lever for tech transfer
• Financing the pre-maturation phase: what are the pre-maturation financing tools & business models

Emerging companies: a route to funding & turnover sources
In a difficult economic climate, in which venture companies prefer to invest in lower risk or mature enterprises, finding financial resources for project maturation seems to get ever more complicated. To whom do TTOs and academic laboratories turn when looking for funding at this stage and which are the best strategies to spin-off the technology so as to ensure its success? And once out of the nest, which models should emerging and young biotech companies choose in order to attract VCs and seed investors?
In this BioFIT track the panels of experts will tackle the following issues:

• What do investors expect from an emerging biotech in terms of business model & level of maturity (fast, semi-virtual, collaborative & capital efficient)?
• New trends in pre-financing milestones
• The right shape of a spin-off’s portfolio: diversity for lower risk or focused for higher success, to succeed?
• What will a successfully funded biotech look like in the next 5 years?