The European Innovation Council (EIC) regularly hosts EIC Corporate Days, matchmaking events between Europe's largest corporates and EIC beneficiaries. In this new series, we will discover what makes these corporates tick, what's their approach to innovation and what they are looking for. After the online EIC Corporate Day with Lonza, we met with Delphine Demeestere, Director of External Innovation within Biologics R&D at the company, to provide us with a few insights.
Lonza aims to combine technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise, and process excellence to help customers deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases. On 21 November 2022, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and Lonza brought together EIC-funded innovators to pitch their solutions to improve the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. After this corporate event, we had the chance to meet with Delphine Demeestere to ask her some questions. Here’s what she had to say.
Can you briefly describe your role within the company?
I’m a director of External Innovation within Biologics R&D at Lonza. My role is to scout for economically valuable technologies and progress collaboration opportunities with our R&D teams to convert them into something very tangible for our business.
The objective of the External Innovations team is to support the overarching innovation strategy of Lonza’s R&D. Our job is to bring in technologies that complement the needs of our wider innovation strategy.
Can you tell us about your approach to (open) innovation and the potential challenges you face in that aspect?
As a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), we provide technological solutions for a large variety of customer needs during the different stages of drug discovery and manufacturing. Ensuring an uptake of innovative solutions to our offering is crucial for our business and the success of our customers.
We essentially operate along two basic models of bringing in technologies. The first one, I would call “pull”. Scientists at Lonza have their external networks; they have their eye on what's going on in the field and tend to identify technologies they would want to make part of Lonza's toolkit. So, they reach out to us and say, “Hey, could we make that part of our toolkit? Could we explore that?”. Then, we go out there and try to pull those technologies into Lonza, if it's a good fit.
The second one is also having a push strategy, e.g., when we tend to push technologies into Lonza. That’s because the External Innovation organisation is constantly surveilling the external environment. When we identify disruptive technologies, we want to bring into Lonza, we push these into our pipeline.
Lastly, the main challenges would be prioritising opportunities that create maximal value for both partners and finding truly transformational innovation.
Recently you teamed up with the EIC to co-host an EIC Corporate Day. Can you explain the motivations behind joining forces with the EIC for this initiative?
The idea of the EIC to offer and organise such Corporate Days is fantastic for both sides, the start-ups and the hosting industry partner. The EIC offers ideal communication channels to reach and connect with the right partners. Particularly noteworthy is the excellent preparation of the start-ups at the coaching sessions, as this gets them optimally prepared.
What are the benefits/advantages of working with the EIC?
The EIC plays a crucial role in nurturing the connection between start-ups and industry so that they can inspire each other. This is a key component of innovation. The unique asset of the EIC is its wide scope in terms of geography and industry, which opens fantastic perspectives. In addition, the startups we meet are already sponsored by European funding, and this only happens after intensive due diligence. Therefore, the probability that we are dealing only with solid candidates is very high.
What mindset and skills do you look for in companies to bring to your ecosystem?
The first part of our assessment is always focussed on the company representatives' technical expertise and the technology's value. Therefore, it’s essential for a start-up to concisely frame its technology and applications and show how they differentiate from competitors. A realistic assessment is important; the technology and the opportunities it offers should not be overestimated.
We expect a certain amount of creativity from our partners when thinking about particular problems with us. Moreover, it is highly appreciated when start-ups do pre-work to better understand which part of their offerings might be economically valuable to Lonza and develop ideas themselves.
What type of partnerships are you looking for with startups?
At Lonza, we have a variety of models to do innovation, ranging from service agreements to in-licensing technology and strategic collaborations. Often, we start with joint R&D work. In this way, both partners benefit from each other’s strengths and are allowed to work together on a defined project. This is a good way to start any potential future longer-term collaborations. However, in some cases, another type of collaboration makes more sense, e.g., a service agreement.
Have you found any interesting opportunities in companies funded by the European Innovation Council?
The corporate day was a very successful event, and we received a lot of good feedback from our internal teams on the initiative. How it will develop further is to be explored as we have to do some due diligence and prioritise the right opportunities.
Any advice/tips for companies that want to work with you?
First of all, it is a two-way street. I would advise that start-ups look carefully for the perfect partner that moves their business forward and helps them grow as a company. I believe transparency, flexibility and framing a truthful picture of your technology are important to building a fruitful and trustful relationship. As mentioned, companies with basic insights into Lonza and an understanding of what potential applications could be relevant for us are highly appreciated.
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