Potter Clarkson and ERS Genomics to join forces with eureKARE on the eureKAWARDS

Potter Clarkson and ERS Genomics to join forces with eureKARE on the eureKAWARDS

• Potter Clarkson to offer the winner a Kick-StartiP consultancy
  

• ERS Genomics to provide the most promising CRISPR/Cas9 team with a complimentary three-year CRISPR/Cas9 license

Luxembourg and Paris, France – 14 September 2021: eureKARE ("the Company"), a pioneering new company focused on financing and building next generation biotechnology companies in the disruptive fields of the microbiome and synthetic biology, today announces it has secured the support of Potter Clarkson, an intellectual property law firm, and ERS Genomics, the global CRISPR/Cas9 licensing leader, on the eureKAWARDS.

Supporting the development of synthetic biology, the first edition of the eureKAWARDS is an international competition designed with the aim to discover and identify the most promising synthetic biology projects and research across Europe. Together with eureKARE, both Potter Clarkson and ERS Genomics will be offering invaluable services to eureKAWARDS semi-finalists and the winning entry.

Potter Clarkson will be providing IP education to all eureKAWARDS semi-finalists, as well as one-to-one IP consultancy sessions for all finalists. Potter Clarkson will be awarding the winner with its Kick-StartiP consultancy, which is designed to help businesses understand, identify, develop and document their IP strategies to start a business in the best possible way.

ERS Genomics will be offering a three-year license to the most promising CRISPR/Cas9 submission at the eureKAWARDS. This provides broad access to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property held by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, 2020 Nobel Prize winner. In addition, ERS will provide pitch training and mentoring to all semi-finalists.

Rodolphe Besserve, Chief Executive Officer of eureKARE, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Potter Clarkson and ERS Genomics, both specialists in their fields. For participants, this is a unique opportunity to gain access to our expert network of partners to gain real industry advice and insights on their business ideas and projects.”

Sara Holland, patent attorney specializing in synthetic biology and biotechnology at Potter Clarkson, commented: “The research that is being done at universities across Europe has the potential to have a massive impact on the world and help solve many global challenges, but it won’t have that impact if it stays between the pages of an academic journal.

“Naturally, the majority of academics don’t think particularly commercially and often don’t see the potential their research has, and so most of this potential is never realized. The pro-active approach taken by eureKARE, whereby the most exciting research in academic labs in the synthetic biology and microbiome space is identified and commercialized, is both necessary and inspired. Synthetic biology is such an exciting space to be in, and our team feel privileged to have the deep scientific technical backgrounds necessary to understand this emerging area of deep tech and help start-ups and spin-outs drag academic research out into the world.”

Eric Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer, ERS Genomics, added: “We are in the business of innovation. At ERS, we believe CRISPR/Cas9 will help deliver a better, more sustainable future for us and our planet. Already, use of CRISPR/Cas9 has provided solutions to previously insurmountable global issues. Across a host of life science disciplines, including agriculture, infectious disease and therapeutics, precision gene-editing is changing everything. Our vision is to enable an acceleration of life science breakthroughs through access to our patent portfolio. The eureKAWARDS are in perfect harmony with our goals. We want to see start-ups succeed, and we want new ideas brought to fruition. Working with eureKARE, we will play an active role in encouraging innovation in Life Science.”

To be part of the first annual eureKAWARDS, please visit eurekare.eu/eurekawards for further information on how to submit your application. The application portal will remain open until 10 October 2021.

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About eureKARE

eureKARE is a unique project development company dedicated to investing and developing next generation biotechnology companies in the cutting-edge fields of the microbiome and synthetic biology. eureKARE has a two-step investment approach to deliver long-term value creation. The Company supports translational research by creating and financing new companies out of high value European science through its biotech start-up studios eureKABIOME (Microbiome) and eureKASYNBIO (Synthetic biology). The Company also intends to invest in more mature biotech companies and will systematically propose to offer some liquidity to early investors, thereby addressing a critical need in the European biotech field. Guided by its influential founder, Alexandre Mouradian, and a pan-European team, eureKARE has a rapidly growing portfolio of companies that have the potential to disrupt the life sciences industry.

About Potter Clarkson

We help companies, organisations and individuals across all sectors of business to understand, create, protect and defend the commercial value of their innovations anywhere in the world through intellectual property rights. As a full-service intellectual property law firm with expertise in patents, trade marks, designs, litigation, licensing and consultancy, we can provide you with specialist support in all areas of IP. For additional information please visit https://www.potterclarkson.com

About ERS Genomics

ERS Genomics is a biotechnology company based in Dublin, Ireland. The company provides broad access to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property held by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier. Non-exclusive licenses are available for research and sale of products and services across multiple fields including: research tools, kits, reagents; discovery of novel targets for therapeutic intervention; cell lines for discovery and screening of novel drug candidates; GMP production of healthcare products; companion animal and livestock health; production of industrial materials such as enzymes, biofuels and chemicals; and synthetic biology. For additional information please visit www.ersgenomics.com

For more information

eureKARE SA
Marina Shapochnik, Head Investor Relations
marina.shapochnik@eurekare.eu

Consilium Strategic Communications
Amber Fennell, Sukaina Virji, Carina Jurs, Genevieve Wilson
+44 (0) 203 709 5000
eurekare@consilium-comms.co