Paris Brain Institute launches the 2nd edition of NeurAL, its studio startup program dedicated to neuroscience

This seed funding program aims to identify and support neuroscience R&D projects, to help bring them to fruition and promote innovative entrepreneurship. It offers the winning projects personalized support as well as funding of up to €400,000, depending on the specific needs of each project for achieving its objectives.

The NeurAL program will also reward the most innovative project partner with the Anne and Claude Berda Prize for Innovation, worth €10,000.

NeurAL was born out of the realization that France lacked the capacity to bring together leading technical and industrial expertise in the complex field of neuroscience to support R&D projects to the point of creating a viable startup.Paris Brain Institute and its iPEPS incubator, whose businesses have successfully raised more than €650 million in private funds in recent years, and introduced dozens of products to the market, decided to create the NeurAL program, aimed at the entire neuroscience innovation community.

A tailor-made program:boosting projects and consolidating R&D

Any researcher, engineer or healthcare professional in France can answer the NeurAL call for projects confidentially, through a quick online process followed by one-to-one discussions. A committee of experts, bound by a confidentiality agreement, will select the 2024 winners.

After awarding the prize, the winning projects will enter a three-phase process:

Phase 1: Identifying the challenge and plotting the roadmap

Defining the key steps, roadmap and budget (distributed in tranches) that will get the project off the ground and create a startup.

Phase 2: Technological acceleration

Paris Brain Institute launches the 2nd edition of NeurAL, its studio startup program dedicated to neuroscience - Paris Experiments to build the product’s “data package”, with partner providers or on dedicated platforms. These will aim to prove reproducibility and consolidate results, therefore attracting new investors.

Phase 3: The business development plan

Defining the roadmap and business plan with a unique network of experts (KOLs, CEOs, industrial partners, investors, etc.) and setting up a team.

Application process

Applicants will be selected in two stages, according to the following schedule:

Stage 1: applications submitted by 08/14/2024. The applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. To create an initial shortlist.

Stage 2: the best projects will be pitched in late September

2024, with winners announced from October 1^st, 2024

Eligibility criteria

• Geographical area: Europe
• Research projects or products in development with a neuroscience/neurological disease or mental health focus
• Degree of maturity of the technology according to the Technology Readiness level scale (TRL) 3-4
  • Biotech: as a minimum, in vitro data consolidated with pre-identified product
  • Medtech: initial hardware plans
  • Digital: wireframe idea, first lines of code.

Prize

After the call for projects, the best project partner(s) will receive:

• Financial support of up to €400,000
• An individual prize from the Anne and Claude Berda foundation worth €10,000 (for the best project)
• Access to research platforms
• Access to a network of experts

If a startup is created, the businesses will then automatically receive two years of incubation free of charge within iPEPS, Paris Brain Institute’s business incubator.

This project was supported by the Fondation Anne et Claude Berda and Indosuez Wealth Management.