Applications open for SmiLe’s international Biotech program with BioM and Merck

Applications open for SmiLe’s international Biotech program with BioM and Merck

Applications are now open for Biotech Bootcamp, SmiLe’s new, international training program for future biotech entrepreneurs which is run in full partnership with one of Europe's leading biotechnology clusters, Bio^M, in Germany and sponsored by Merck. Based on a successful pilot collaboration in 2021, this year’s programme will focus on pharma and drug discovery ideas and it is open to applicants from all over Europe.

Biotech Bootcamp is an eight-week digital mentoring program, where 10 future biotech-entrepreneurs from all over Europe will get a unique opportunity to develop and commercialize their business ideas with the help of life science experts from SmiLe, Bio^M and Merck.

The program, sponsored by the European Commission and Merck, offers more than 70 lectures from some 50  industry experts as well as workshops, individual time with mentors, feedback practice, pitch training etc., giving the participants a unique insight into the Biotech industry. This year the programme also includes a dedicated industry week with workshops, lectures and panel discussions with a number of industry experts, as well as a Demo Day where companies will get to pitch their business ideas and showcase their progress. In addition, Merck will award two winners with a trip to their M Lab™ Collaboration Center in Molsheim, France  to meet experts and build networks.

The pilot version of the program that was run in 2021 received a 5 -star rating and was praised especially for the mentoring, pitch training, peer2peer sessions, methodology, organization and partners. The start-ups described the experience as connecting, motivating, educational and challenging and 100% of the participants would recommend it to to others. 

“This was a very useful program. It was good to get different perspectives from other startups and do some peer-to-peer networking. I really appreciated the mentorship sessions, I had a very proactive mentor that forced me to re-think and focus more on my business model,” says Marguerite Mensonides at Amplio Pharma, one of the participants.

“The pilot version of the Biotech Bootcamp program last year received glowing reviews from the participants and I am very pleased that we can now run the program in full partnership with Bio^M. We have further developed the programme and added even more content this time and I am very much looking forward to seeing some exciting, new business ideas amongst the applications,"says Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO of SmiLe.

Applications for the 2022 Biotech Bootcamp can be submitted through https://www.smileincubator.life/biotech-bootcamp/. The closing date is June 20^th 2022 and the programme starts on October 3^rd 2022.

After completing the program there is a possibility for the participants to be accepted into more extensive programs at SmiLe.

For more information: Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO of SmiLe, tel:  +46 73 400 04 33, ebba@smileincubator.life