The Iroise Marine Natural Park and the entire Finistère coastline are environments teeming with biodiversity. No wonder then that the tip of Brittany has become a melting pot for marine biotechnology innovation.
This is spearheaded by a web of academic excellence, led by Roscoff Marine Station and its research and training centre overseen by Sorbonne University, the French National Institute for Earth Sciences and Astronomy (INSU) and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Equally important are the French Institute for Ocean Science (Ifremer), the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM), Concarneau Marine Station, and the Universities of Brest and Southern Brittany.
Another important fuel for this crucible of innovation is the rich ecosystem of VSEs and SMEs which has diversified over the years into a number of different sectors. These include cosmetics, with several laboratories and companies such as Lessonia, Polymaris and TechNature using active ingredients from the ocean. Another area is health, with start-ups such as Hemarina, Perha Pharma and SeaBeLife, which are leading advances in global research from the Finistère coast.
Agro-industry is also represented by major players such as Agrimer, Olmix and TechSeaLab. Strong networks in Finistère and Brittany provide a reliable driver for the development of an extraordinarily wide range of projects, such as Biotech Santé Bretagne.
Blue Valley®, to develop the blue bioeconomy, and more specifically marine biotechnologies, an industrial sector of the future for the tip of Brittany.
Photo: Blue Valley