Press Release
These are the first five companies to join the Sorbonne University Innovation Centre
Biomemory, HyVibe, Qubit Pharmaceuticals, Tortoise and Welinq are the outstanding research and development companies chosen to join the Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université. This unique facility in France, which is expected to open in early 2026, will strengthen the synergies between academic research and the socio-economic world. The Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université will be an incubator, a business centre and a demonstrator. Sorbonne Université is the f irst university to offer a 15,000 m² space on one of its campuses bringing together research, entrepreneurship and the student community.
Five companies selected from the call for applications
The Sorbonne University selection committee has chosen the first five innovative companies to set up in the business centre of the Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université. The Cité de l'Innovation business centre is intended to accommodate innovative research and development companies that work closely with Sorbonne Université and have already succeeded in securing initial rounds of funding for their projects. The selected companies have been active in their fields for an average of 6 years: molecular computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and quantum physics, innovative solutions in acoustics, analysis of mechanical failures. These start-ups, whose technologies originate from the university laboratories, have all presented, in their application and then during their hearing, a project of scientific cooperation and development of their relations with the student community of Sorbonne Université. To find out more about these five winners, visit: https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr/universite/cite-de-linnovation-sorbonne-universite/les-startups-de-la-cite-de-linnovation-sorbonne
Other companies are expected to join the business centre in the near future.
A unique space on the Pierre and Marie Curie campus, in the heart of the capital
The Cité de l'innovation Sorbonne Université offers a unique integrated innovation ecosystem at the heart of one of the most prestigious multidisciplinary campuses in Europe, located in the heart of the 5th arrondissement of Paris. In this infrastructure, designed by international architectural references BIG and OXO, 15,000 m² will be dedicated to innovation and project incubation. Spaces and services will be spread over five levels in a building with NF HQE (High Environmental Quality) certification, guaranteeing an eco-responsible design and optimal energy management. Construction began in September 2022 with an overall budget of 69 million euros, co-financed by the City of Paris, the State, the Île-de-France Region and Sorbonne Université.
An unprecedented place that promotes scientific innovation and entrepreneurship
The Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université will enable research and development companies, created in Sorbonne Université laboratories or in connection with them, to develop in dedicated premises, thus creating an unprecedented link between university research and the business world. Sorbonne Université is the first university to set up an infrastructure of this scale entirely dedicated to innovation within an education and research campus. The Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université will bring mutual enrichment to the actors of Sorbonne Université. The laboratories will benefit from facilitated relations with the companies they have helped to create, particularly through research chairs and contracts. The students, for their part, will benefit from the opportunities offered by the Pépite cluster that will be based there, as well as numerous other possibilities: internships, job offers and business start-ups.
Nathalie Drach-Temam, President of Sorbonne Université, said: ‘We wanted a place where fundamental research and innovation meet and mutually enrich each other. A space where new ideas take shape and where fledgling companies flourish within an unprecedented collaborative ecosystem. Start-ups from Sorbonne Université research laboratories have raised an impressive €1.5 billion over the past ten years. This success testifies to the effectiveness of our unique innovation ecosystem. A comprehensive ecosystem covering activities ranging from the pre-maturation phase to the creation and support of start-ups, which will now be visible within the Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université.’
To find out more about the Cité de l'Innovation de Sorbonne Université: Cité de l'innovation Sorbonne Université | Sorbonne Université| Sorbonne université
This is a translation into English of the original press release issued by Sorbonne Université. Follow this link for the original French version.
