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BSGN LIFE SCIENCE
OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Take the opportunity to use microgravity for your R&D! A dedicated call for proposals is now open!
ESA, MEDES and France Biotech joined forces to give you the opportunity to launch your idea into space.
Together they created the Business In Space Growth Network Life Science Industry Accelerator, part of the Business In Space Growth Network (BSGN) founded by the European Space Agency.
It aims to offer new opportunities for industrial research by facilitating access to commercial space-based platforms such as R&D plateforms available onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and more specifically in Low Earth Orbit.
We invite you to join us using space to solve our biggest challenges in Life Sciences.
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Application EXTENDED deadline: November 10th, 2022 at 18:00 CET
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Why Space?
At reduced levels of gravity, the biological, chemical and physical processes change. The Space environment allows to re-discover properties of life and improve understanding of processes and interaction of substances, and to create new and more accurate data models. You can use these insights to develop new models and processes for products that can be used on Earth.
Learn more about the assets of microgravity for life science and biomanufacturing and discover concrete examples.
Solve challenges on Earth
- Produce new biomedicines with disruptive properties
- Produce complex protein in (very) small volumes for personalized medicine.
- Improve the results of the entire manufacturing chain.
- Develop suitable design tools to save considerable time and money.
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How Low Earth Orbit Phenomena helps your Life Science project?
Space is an environment in which several phenomena can be observed: microgravity, extreme conditions of space and vantage point. For the life science market, microgravity is the most valuable parameter as it gathers unique physical and chemical properties that are not reproduceable on Earth on a long duration. The most impactful changes which can help foster your industrial research are the following:
- Different behaviour of living organisms: Changes in gene expression, morphological modifications and changes in cellular physiology (e.g. no use of scaffold needed for 3D tissues).
- Accelerated disease model: Accelerated model of age-related disorders such as osteoporosis (e.g. bone & muscle loss and immune dysfunction for astronauts).
- Proteins/crystal growth: Molecule crystals to grow larger and with fewer defects, new polymorphs and morphologies of crystals to be discovered thanks to low sedimentation and diffusion driven by kinetic.
- Phase changes for manufacturing processes: Study of separation processes on both micro and macroscale eased by low sedimentation.
Other changes are observed in microgravity, use our resources section to discover them.
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It is a step by step approach to help you to perform research in space. You get access to a team of technical and business experts. MEDES has more than 30 years of experience in the space sector and France Biotech is leading health innovation in France by supporting its 490 HealthTech members to face the challenges addressed by this sector. During step 1 of the call for proposals, you can have access to the resources which explain what are the advantages of microgravity for life sciences and cosmetic. During step 2 of the call for proposals, the team will help you to prepare your final application. Join us to explore how space can accelerate your R&D. You will be part of a journey, from submission of your project proposal into an acceleration programme to a financed flight project. This Accelerator combines different infrastructures and facilities that fosters top level research thanks to the unique features of the space environment, while focusing on the terrestrialchallenges! You can create new opportunity and even start a new business based on your innovation.
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Technical Support
We support end-to-end services for the project owner. This includes facilitation of all technical aspects necessary to translate your terrestrial concept to space-based viability. Our team will help translate your idea into a pre-concept of operations for a flight experiment. After the selection of the project in step 2, our team will facilitate the access to our network of space service providers which has the expertise provide experiment hardware selection and/or development, and support all aspects of payload integration including pre and post analysis. The bottom line is you don’t have to become a space expert to fly your project to space!
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Business Support
We will support your business journey from idea concept through project to on-orbit activity and ultimately to a business model that best matches your goals. Commercialization roadmaps, market and customer studies and application analyses can underpin a successful commercial enterprise.
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Investors
The selected project proposals will be funded.
The funding will be provided by third party sponsorship and co-financing by ESA.
The more Sponsor Funding the Accelerator can generate, the more Project Proposals can be financed.
Ultimately, funding for your great idea is part of the service!
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What are the benefits of joining BSGN Life Science?
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We understand both the critical issues associated with the terrestrial side of Life Sciences as well as the benefits of the space environement in Low Earth Orbit.
We are the bridge for you to find incredible space-based opportunities for your earth-based industry!
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What fields of application are possible?
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The Accelerator helps you to make a pertinent use of the space environment to lift up research and development in Life Sciences.
Industries from this sector can benefit from the microgravity environment to foster their R&D. There are many applications in many different fields.
For instance, segments which may benefit the most from microgravity are:
- Antibodies
- Therapeutics molecules and proteins
- Gene therapy vectors
- Cell therapies
- Vaccines
But if you have ideas in areas not mentioned above, we’ll be happy to talk about them!
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Applicants residing in any of the ESA Member and the Associated States who are part of the European Exploration Envelope (E3P) Programme:
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Latvia, and the United Kingdom.
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We have examples of previous flight projects in the life science area that can help you formulate a proposal!
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Antibodies (Merck mAB) - microgravity biologics crystallization processes with the ISS National Laboratory: understanding the growth of monoclonal antibodies (mAB) crystalline suspensions with higher quality thanks to low sedimentation and minimized convection. (read more)
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Therapeutic molecules and proteins (Eli Lilly) - co-crystallization with the ISS National Laboratory: studying a human membrane protein in the presence of a medically relevant compound crystallizes to allow researchers to design drugs targeting a specific pathway involved in cancer. (read more)
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Gene Therapy Vectors (Maleth using ICE Cubes) - :How bacteria from DFU (diabetic foot ulcers) react to radiation from space. (read more)
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Cell Therapies (SKIN B using Biolab) - Development of further therapy approaches and prevention of prematurely aged skin as well as poor wound healing. The skin could serve as a model for connective tissues, different epithelia, vascular system, neuronal and stem cell system and may lead to further diagnostic options. Furthermore, it will help the astronauts to prepare a long stay in space and to set up space travels, e.g. journey to Mars. (read more)
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Vaccines (COVID-19 on ICE Cubes) - Improvement of drug absorption in humans thanks to increased drug stability under microgravity. (read more)
The Erasmus Experiment Archive provides you already a good overview about decades of Space Research.
Please, have a look, or ask for help!
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Take your project to the next level:
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Find out why it would make sense to conduct your Life Science project in space
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Apply to get funding and support for your proposal / project from ESA and BSGN Members
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Boost the development of your project
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The consortium wish to clarify that:
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There is no guarantee to be selected
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There is no guarantee that selected entities will be funded, due to the fact that funding is subject to stakeholder approvals.
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The BSGN Life Science Industry Accelerator application process and UPDATED timeline
The process consists of two Steps.
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Step 1: Open Call for Project Proposals:
Step 1 consists of proposing a project idea by downloading the Application Form before October 26th, 2022, at 23:59 CET. After you apply and the deadline of the Open Call for Project Proposal has passed, your Project Proposal will be evaluated by the BSGN Life Science Industry Accelerator team. If selected, you will be guided in step 2 to create a final Project Proposal. The main criteria to evaluate the projects are:
- Concept summary
- Relevance of space and microgravity for your experiment
- Relevance of proposal for terrestrial goals
- Commercial and value impact outcomes
- Strength of team
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Step 2: Open Call for final Project Proposals:
In Step 2 your initial Proposal will be upgraded into a final Project Proposal. After the submission deadline, all selected proposals will receive an invitation to present the project to the Tender Evaluation Board (TEB). The TEB is composed of the BSGN Life Science Industry Accelerator team and ESA members, and will be held in January 2023. Project Proposals are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Project overview
- Project implementation
- Outcomes and value impact
- Team
After step 2: READY TO GO!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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1. Must I be a legal entity to submit a proposal?
Not necessarily, you can be a legal entity, a legal person, or a natural person.
2. Do I need a previous experience in space?
Not any space-related experience or background is required. You will get all the support needed from us.
3. Is it free to participate?
Yes, there is no fee to submit a project proposal.
4. Who gets financing?
Only legal entities get a financing.
5. Can I submit several proposals?
Yes, you can submit several proposals. However, you must provide all the required forms and documents for each proposal. Please note that submitting several proposals will not impact the selection of each other.
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6. What will happen after Step 2?
If your project proposal is selected at the Tender Evaluation Board (TEB), you will go into Phase 2 and join the BSGN Life Science Industry Accelerator under the following conditions:
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The BSGN Life Science Industry Accelerator application process is considered complete by ESA
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Its implementation has been authorized internally by ESA Delegates Bodies
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Programme Fund has been secured and is available on both ESA and MEDES sides.
7. What happens with my idea after submission?
As far as allowed by law, any title held by the application to his/her idea shall remain vested in him/her. An application for the BSGN Life Science open call for proposals will not result in the acquisition of any title whatsoever to the idea.
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Do you want to support researchers to use space as catalyst for solutions on Earth, i.e. how to feed humankind in future? Please, contact us, we are looking for Sponsors via a Sponsoring Association. The more money the Accelerator collects the more project proposals can be supported.
Benefits for investors:
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New discoveries & patents
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Make way for improved processes and cost savings
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Incredible brand value
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Solve societal issues
The pool of selected projects will be sponsored through a Programme Fund. Your contributions as investors will be completed with funding from ESA.
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MEDES aims to provide expertise in space medicine and physiology and to promote application and innovations between space and health. MEDES achieves this through its work in three main sectors: support in space medicine and physiology for space exploration, clinical research, and lastly space applications and innovations for health.
MEDES-IMPS | 2 av. de l'aérodrome de Montaudran
31400 Toulouse | France
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France Biotech was founded in 1997 as an independent association, uniting the country’s leading innovative health companies and their expert partners. As a leader in health innovation working in close cooperation with public authorities in France and across Europe, France Biotech is ideally positioned to address the challenges facing the HealthTech sector.
Its mission is to support HealthTech startups and SMEs in their quest for international expansion with the capability to rapidly design and develop new innovations and get them to the point of care. The association currently has 490 members.
France Biotech | 10 Rue d'Oradour-sur-Glane
75015 Paris | France
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