Society and regional strategies 2 min
Start-ups and INRAE: a fruitful partnership
Since 1999, INRAE has created an environment for start-ups that fosters innovative ideas while making sure that our research is put to best use. You will find examples below of the start-ups the Institute has supported over the decades, both in house and through external partnerships.
Published on 28 February 2020 (date.last_update 20 October 2020)
The help we provide at INRAE for business creation allows us to transform the achievements of our scientists and their research students into practical solutions, offering them access to the business world and giving them the chance to be involved in the co-creation of innovative products. In all, INRAE has supported 216 innovative start-up projects.
Our goals:
- Set up new businesses using innovative ideas from the INRAE laboratories,
- Support external business projects by providing research expertise and laboratory facilities.
> 176 innovative businesses supported by INRAE still in operation
> 1000 jobs created
> 81% success rate for businesses supported by INRAE since 1999
Across the food, environmental and agricultural sectors, the start-ups that have been created or incubated by INRAE offer a wide range of innovative products and services.
SEE THE 176 INRAE START-UPS (BROCHURE)
Follow our series "Three questions for a start-up"
WeTruf: the start-up that’s working wonders for truffle growers
Created in 2019, WeTruf is the Swiss army knife of the truffle-growing industry. This start-up offers training, advice and expert services and is doing a great job of getting INRAE’s latest research ideas onto the market. We interviewed Flora Todesco, the company’s CEO.
Three questions for a start-up: Néolithe
Burying and incinerating non-recyclable waste creates pollution, and the world desperately needs solutions to revolutionize how we manage such waste. By turning waste into pebbles, the start-up Néolithe is looking to use fossilisation to reduce the carbon released into the atmosphere by 80%. Clément Benassy, managing director of Néolithe, talks about this new approach.
Three questions for a start-up: Biomae
On-site biotesting to measure contamination levels, assess the toxicity of micropollutants and monitor water quality and aquatic habitats is now a reality in France thanks to Biomae, a start-up that grew and flourished in the IRSTEA (now INRAE) labs. The star of this success story is a tiny freshwater crustacean, the scud. We find out more from Guillaume Jubeaux, co-director of Biomae.
See our series "Three questions for a start-up"
INRAE Transfert is an INRAE subsidiary that supports the creation of innovative businesses. Its awareness-raising and training programme, Flash parcours Entrepreneuriat, offers a transfer pathway for scientists who want to turn their research results into a business venture. In addition to these activities, INRAE Transfert assists in project design and enables scientists to connect with the key movers in the innovation ecosystem (incubators, financers, service providers, et al.).