PSL Valorisation and Qlife launch a call for Proof-of-Concept projects

The non-confidential abstract will not be used to prescreen applications. It is intended for the information of the experts, to confirm their agreement to evaluate the project. As far as possible all eligible projets will be evaluated.

Considering the limits and indications of the number of pages, the minimum expected font size is Arial 11 or equivalent.

The official project leader must have a formal link with a PSL research unit at the time of the application; the young doctor may be involved in the project eventually, and their salary may be supported by the grant.

A non-permanent researcher can be the project leader. If the director of the unit signs the application form, then it is implicit that the project leader will be employed by the institution during the project, thanks to the funding granted.

Yes.

It is possible for a candidate to apply even if they have already been a winner in a previous edition. It is also possible for a project leader to submit several applications for different projects during the same call for projects.

These criteria are quite broad (see the call description), but applicants do not need to specify whether they consider their project to involve quantitative biology. The selection committee will determine this. In addition, a life science project that would not be considered quantitative can be funded through the call (by FNV funding).

Yes, such a project is eligible.

PSL will transfer the funds to one of the supervisory institutions (“Tutelles”) of the main research team, which will be a party to the funding agreement, and manage the funds; it is usually the one that validated the application. The other supervisory institutions may or may not be signatories of the agreement, depending on the mandates or agreements in force for the unit. A consultation between the tutelles and other stakeholders will take place before the signature of the agreement, if necessary, eg in relation to pre-existing intellectual property.

The startup can be a partner in the project, but the funding is intended for the project leader's research team and the other PSL teams involved, if any; it cannot fund the start-up. On the other hand, the financing agreement may indicate that the stakeholders intend to grant the startup exploitation rights on the results of the project. Other funding schemes managed by PSL Valorisation may be used to fund startups directly.

Yes, the transfer of the results can be carried out by a technology transfer to a company based in any location. However the evaluation will take into account the potential socio-economic impact in France, Europe and other locations.

No, the impact at economic and/or societal level is a major criterion, but not the short-term profitability, nor the financial return for PSL. Non-profit projects can be funded.

The Selection Committee will evaluate the risk and potential impact of the projects, as well as their feasibility; high-risk/high-impact projects will not be viewed unfavorably, on the contrary.

PSL does not retain management fees; the funding is transferred to one of the unit’s trustees, which may retain management fees up to a maximum of 3% (except for projects funded by Qlife, for which this maximum is set at 2.5%).

The projects expected at the prematuration stage are early stage projects, and therefore have not yet reached a high level of completion and detail in terms of both technological maturation and transfer/market approach. They must however be based on a preliminary proof of concept, indicating the technological limitations to be lifted, and/or the validations expected during the project. Applicants should also ensure that they provide a preliminary vision of possible applications and the associated users and markets. They will describe the possible transfer mode(s), and the process by which they will reach a more complete market vision, value proposition and business model. The innovative character and added value of the proposed solutions compared to competing alternatives, and where appropriate the associated intellectual property issues, will be important evaluation criteria.

There are no prerequisites in terms of TRL. Typically, prematuration projects would start around TRL 3, and would aim to reach TRL 5 by the end of the project, but these figures are only indicative. The most important criterion is that the project configuration allows a credible approach to transfer and market issues. If the R&D program absorbs almost all the resources and/or the technological uncertainties make contacts with potential users or partners too difficult, the project will probably be found unconvincing, even if its scientific level is excellent.

No, prematuration projects based on a recently filed patent application are quite common, but other configurations are quite legitimate: projects based on software, know-how, and/or aiming at developing IP at a later stage. Projects based on a market need, and aiming at developing or aggregating the necessary technology are encouraged, as long as they demonstrate a potential impact.

First of all, the pre-existence of a patent is not a prerequisite for the project to be financed. The financing of this project has no impact on the existing intellectual property but the pre-maturation agreement provides that PSL owns rights on the results of the project and therefore on the potential improvement patents.

The Qlife consortium agreement does not define a general rule for the sharing of intellectual property. This question will be examined on a case-by-case basis depending on the project.

No, such studies may be a plus for the application, and should be mentioned if they exist, but they are by no means prerequisites.

It is not a business plan or detailed financial projections, but rather a qualitative description of what will enable the development and impact of the project: possible application(s), users of the proposed solution, products or services provided, method of remuneration of the startup or licensee company, etc.

The project's field of application is the area of use or application, whereas the economic sector is the type of industrial activity that may be concerned. For example, for a technology aiming at the encapsulation of molecules, the field of application is encapsulation, whereas the economic sector may be health, cosmetics, etc.

The endorsement of the head of institution and the laboratory director can take a very simple form by indicating that they support the project or not. They may at their discretion add a sentence recommending the project, but it is not necessary for them to write a letter to formulate their recommendation.

The fact that a project involves several institutions is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. An application may be submitted by only one partner. Interdisciplinarity will be more directly valued than the plurality of partners.

The laboratory code is the laboratory's UMR number (or equivalent).

Funded projects will benefit from the support of a valorisation department (PSL Valorisation or similar department within a PSL member institution); if a preexisting collaboration exists between the project team and one of these departments, continuity will be encouraged as much as possible. The management and valorization of the project results, and where applicable of the preexisting IP, will aim to promote their transfer (to a start-up or to another industrial partner), to maximize the socio-economic impact of this transfer and to ensure an adequate financial return to the institutions and organizations concerned, and to PSL.

In the first edition in 2018; there were about thirty applications, and in 2019 and 2020 about twenty.

This committee comprises investors, incubation and transfer professionals and business innovation managers; its exact composition is not yet known for this year.

As far as possible, all eligible applications will be evaluated, subject however to the number of applications.

In previous editions the success rate of this call for projects was between 30 and 50%.

Yes, as in previous years, a summary of the opinion of the experts and the Selection Committee will be sent to the applicants, who will also have access to the anonymised opinions of the experts.

An activity report at the end of the project, and in addition financial reporting according to the payment schedule.