New French biomed center operational

The major Eurasante biomedical center in northern France in the Nord-Pas de Calais, developed over a 10-year incubation period by the Eurasante agency, is now fully operational linking 700 regional companies of which 75 are located on this site. Last year, the park added 18 new companies, bringing the total number of jobs to some 20,000.

The new arrivals have included biotechnology enterprises, medical equipment and nutritional products companies. A number of new organizations will move to the site in 2006 including the regional health promotion council, the MRPS. A capital injection of new funding this year will also aim to promote mixed public-private companies specializing in nutrition, health and issues of longevity. One of the leading firms on the site, Maco Pharma, has increased its workforce from 300 to 1,800 in the past five years. The site has also had the effect of encouraging an increase volume of health care congresses to be channelled into the neighboring city of Lille, a key center for university-based medical and pharmaceutical research.