Montpellier Innovation Booster: The Innovation Accelerator!

[Article] - Published on October 7, 2024 in Valuation

From October 2 to 4, 2024, the University of Montpellier, the lead institution of the Montpellier University Innovation Cluster, brought together ten leaders of innovative projects for a new session of the Montpellier Innovation Booster (BIM). Following three days of intensive training, the candidates in this cohort will have until October 20, 2024, to submit their projects and compete for funding to propel their innovations forward.

Over the course of three days, BIM participants took part in an intensive training program covering: project structuring and promotion, intellectual property, fundraising, and entrepreneurship. With the help of students from the Master 2 programin “Entrepreneurship Support”at Montpellier Management (MOMA) and coaches from the University Innovation Hub present¹, the BIM team, and the innovation consulting firm brought in for the occasion, each project leader was able to work on developing their innovative project and refining their pitch before the final presentation to the panel of experts.

David Virieux, lead researcher on the Cure CMT project (a new therapeutic target for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease) and a researcher at ICGM, was one of the candidates in this latest session.“The students helped us simplify our presentation to make it more accessible during the pitch session, which was a challenge for me. The advice on structuring an innovative project and on the risks associated with my scientific field will also be very useful to me going forward.”

Special funding of 120,000 euros

The jury for this year’s BIM competition consisted of: Gaspard Lepine, project manager forINRAE’s“University Innovation Hubs”; Christophe Bonnel, hospital physician and head ofthe innovation hub at Montpellier University Hospital; Thanh Nguyen, head of the contracts office at the UM’s Directorate of Innovation and Partnerships (Dipa); Raphael Girardin, head of entrepreneurship atInstitut Agro Montpellier and current coach on the M6 TV show “Qui veut être mon associé”; Cyril Peyré, head of the business support and cross-functional project management department for innovation (Dipa); Maylisse Seba, manager of Startup Dealflow at CNRS Innovation; and finally Laurent Biasetti, head of partnerships at Satt AxLR.

The winners will be announced in December and will receive exceptional funding of €120,000 this year. The Montpellier Innovation Booster continues to establish itself as a major springboard for innovators, offering them practical tools to turn their ideas into viable projects with a tangible impact on society.

1. Agence Ad’Occ, IRD, Agro Vallée Incubation, Satt AxLR, Initium Incubator, the University of Montpellier’s Office of Innovation and Partnerships, CNRS ↩︎

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Students, Innovation, Valuation