EIC and Sanofi convene Paris Corporate Day to fast-track AI and bioprocess innovations

Brussels, December 17th 2025

Summary

›The European Innovation Council and Sanofi held a Corporate Day in Paris where 11 EIC-backed start-ups pitched to Sanofi executives and technical teams.
›Start-ups presented solutions across AI-assisted biomanufacturing, organs-on-chip, crystal structure prediction, photonics sensing and digital patient platforms.
›EIC provided targeted coaching and matchmaking under its Corporate Partnership Programme with the goal of pilots, co-development and strategic partnerships.
›Organisers and participants emphasised technical depth and readiness but concrete deals will depend on validation, integration and regulatory pathways.
›The Corporate Day fits into a broader EIC effort to connect deep tech scaleups with large corporates but persistent challenges remain in scaling pilot results to production.

EIC and Sanofi Corporate Day in Paris: a focused pipeline for healthcare innovation

On 17 December 2025 the European Innovation Council convened a Corporate Day with Sanofi in Paris. Eleven EIC-backed start-ups were selected jointly by Sanofi and the EIC after a period of targeted coaching and business proposal reviews. The format combined an exclusive pitching session with tailored one-to-one meetings between start-up teams and Sanofi senior decision-makers and technical experts. The stated aim was to surface technologies that can move quickly into pilots, co-development projects, procurement or strategic partnerships across Sanofi’s R&D, manufacturing and digital functions.

Who attended and how the day worked

Sanofi sent senior digital and technical representatives including Emmanuel Frenehard, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, and several technical leads. Michiel Scheffer, President of the EIC Board, attended and framed the activity as part of EIC’s effort to bridge EU start-ups with large industry. Each start-up was pre-vetted by Sanofi, prepared by the EIC through coaching sessions, and then pitched followed by scheduled individual meetings with Sanofi teams covering Digital Accelerator, Digital Manufacturing and Supply, and Digital R&D.

The start-ups and technologies presented

The cohort covered a broad range of domains relevant to modern drug development and biomanufacturing. Their technologies spanned digital platforms and AI, physics-based predictive modelling, advanced sensing, organoid and organ-on-chip preclinical models, and patient engagement platforms intended to support later-stage clinical activities and real world evidence generation.

Company	Country	Core technology or proposition	Potential Sanofi use-case
Alkion BioInnovations	France	AI-driven plant cell biomanufacturing for predictive QC and digital process optimisation	Alternative biologics production routes and resilient supply of complex molecules such as adjuvants
BiomimX	Italy	Human-based beating organs-on-chip for efficacy and safety testing	Improve preclinical predictivity and de-risk lead selection
Biosimulytics	Ireland	Crystal structure prediction platform combining AI and quantum physics to map polymorphic landscapes	In-silico polymorph screening to reduce CMC and IP risks
Blinkin	Germany	Multimodal AI assistant platform to build visual and conversational agents	Patient support, R&D collaboration tools and HCP engagement
Computomics	Germany	Multi-omics data intelligence integrating genomics, proteomics and metabolomics	Target discovery, validation and translational biomarker modelling
EZMEMS	Israel	Edge multi-sensing technology capturing real-time process data on a single chip	In-line process monitoring for bioprocess control and anomaly detection
Golana Computing	France	AI-powered asset management capturing sub-millisecond signals for equipment intelligence	Predictive maintenance of critical biomanufacturing equipment
Hooke Bio	Ireland	Organoid-based, body-on-a-plate testing platforms for non-animal preclinical evaluation	Human-relevant preclinical models to accelerate drug development and reduce animal testing
InSpek	France	Integrated photonics platform for real-time high-resolution bioprocess monitoring and AI optimisation	High-granularity sensors for upstream and downstream process control
moveUP	Belgium	Digital health platform for patient engagement, adherence monitoring and real world data	Patient support programmes, adherence tracking and collection of PROs for clinical programmes
Scienta Lab	France	AI-powered precision immunology linking preclinical signals to clinical efficacy via multi-omics	Translational modelling to prioritise immunology assets and predict clinical responses

Organs-on-chip and organoid platforms:These technologies aim to reproduce human tissue physiology at a micro scale to provide more predictive preclinical readouts than traditional 2D cell cultures or some animal models. For drug developers they can shorten failure-prone stages by improving early decision making. Key practical hurdles include reproducibility, standardisation, regulatory acceptance and clear qualification pathways for integration into existing development pipelines.

Crystal structure prediction and polymorphism:Predicting how small molecules crystallise is a long-standing technical bottleneck in pharmaceutical chemistry. Polymorphism can affect solubility, manufacturability and patent coverage. Platforms that combine physics-based modelling, AI and high-performance computing can generate an energy-density landscape of accessible forms. In practice these tools are useful only if they align with lab workflows, reduce experimental burden and provide actionable results for formulation and CMC teams.

Photonics and integrated sensors for bioprocessing:Integrated photonic sensors and edge multisensing chips capture high-frequency, multi-parameter signals close to the process. When combined with AI they promise deterministic inputs for control systems and improved process understanding. Real-world adoption depends on sensor robustness, calibration strategies, integration with control software and validation under GMP conditions.

Sanofi’s objectives and how corporates framed the opportunity

Sanofi described its ambition to become a biopharma company powered by AI at scale. The company said it is looking across the value chain to compress development timelines, improve manufacturing efficiency and enhance patient engagement. Sanofi leaders said the Corporate Day provided a time-efficient way to access pre-vetted technologies and to open technical dialogues relevant to drug discovery, bioprocess optimisation, manufacturing intelligence, clinical trial efficiency and patient support.

What the EIC provided and the intended commercial pathway

The activity was delivered through the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme and EIC Business Acceleration Services. The EIC prepared start-ups with coaching and proposal reviews and curated the matches with Sanofi. The programme offers post-activity support to help follow-up meetings convert into pilots, procurement, co-development projects or investment. EIC executives emphasised the aim of generating technically feasible and commercially meaningful conversations rather than casual networking.

EIC Corporate Partnership Programme:According to EIC material, since 2017 the Corporate Partnership Programme has organised dozens of initiatives to link EIC-backed scaleups with large companies. The programme claims to have run 80 initiatives involving more than 120 corporate partners and over 1,200 EIC-funded start-ups and scaleups, with more than 2,500 corporate representatives taking part. The Corporate Day with Sanofi is an example of this curated matchmaking approach designed to move conversations toward pilots and deals.

Voices from participants

EIC Board President Michiel Scheffer framed the activity as about bridging the gap between European innovators and healthcare industry leaders. Sanofi CDO Emmanuel Frenehard said the day accelerated Sanofi’s scouting and produced conversations at the right technical level for meaningful evaluation. Start-up representatives from BiomimX and Scienta Lab highlighted that access to Sanofi experts gave them fast, practical feedback on integration and validation that would have taken months to obtain through cold outreach.

A sober assessment: what optimism must clear before deals appear

Corporate days are necessary pipeline-building events but not sufficient proof of commercialisation. Several technical and organisational barriers commonly slow or stop progress after an initial pitch. These include the need for rigorous validation under GMP or clinical-grade conditions, data access and interoperability, contractual and IP arrangements, procurement rules and budget cycles, regulatory acceptance for new preclinical models, and the general mismatch between a start-up’s speed and corporate procurement timelines. The EIC and participants signalled post-event support, which increases the chance of follow-up but cannot replace the months of testing and legal negotiation often required before a procurement or licence is signed.

Key practical obstacles:Validation and qualification for regulated environments, data security and privacy when integrating AI with proprietary datasets, demonstrable ROI for manufacturing intelligence investments, evidence of reproducibility for biological models, and alignment with corporate procurement and clinical timelines.

Measures of success and what to watch next

Short term indicators that this Corporate Day will have impact include: signed NDAs enabling data sharing, definition of pilot success criteria and timelines, budget allocation for proofs of concept, and joint technical workplans. Medium term signs are pilots running under realistic conditions, data showing improved predictivity or process stability, and formation of pilot-to-production roadmaps. Longer term outcomes that matter to the EU innovation ecosystem are multi-party co-development agreements, procurement contracts, equity investment rounds connected to corporate engagement and technology transfer that strengthens European supply chains.

Context within the EU innovation ecosystem

The EIC programme aims to position itself as a gateway connecting deep tech ventures to corporate and public buyers. This event with Sanofi sits alongside many similar corporate days run by the EIC with industry players across sectors. Such curated engagements are a pragmatic response to a persistent market failure where large buyers struggle to access validated, industrial-grade innovations from smaller players. The EIC’s role is to reduce search and selection costs and to provide initial coaching and matchmaking. However, the conversion rate from meetings to large-scale deals historically varies and depends on complementary supports such as procurement pilots, co-funding, and investment.

Advice for start-ups and corporates coming out of events like this

For start-ups: be prepared with clear use cases, realistic milestones and integration requirements. Anticipate compliance needs and provide a plan for technical validation. For corporates: define evaluation criteria in advance, create fast-track pilots with clear success metrics and funding, and put in place simplified procurement routes for early-stage collaborations. Both sides benefit from transparent discussions on data governance, IP and commercial terms early in the process.

Practical next steps to watch

Look for announcements of pilots, joint development agreements, investment follow-ons or public procurement tenders that list participating vendors. The EIC typically supports follow-up through business acceleration services and ecosystem partners. In some cases a pilot will become a procurement pathway or a minority investment by the corporate partner.

Final assessment

The EIC-Sanofi Corporate Day was a targeted and technically substantive matchmaking exercise that points to a pragmatic model for corporate-start-up engagement in European healthcare. The event delivered access, technical dialogue and early-stage alignment. Delivering the promised impact will require careful work on validation, regulation, contracting and financing. The EIC’s role as convener and preparer increases the odds of productive follow-up but the hard work of moving from technical proof to production ready systems remains the primary test for whether these conversations translate into measurable benefit for patients and for European innovation capacity.