The North Pole of Scientific Excellence

Head south of Lille, in Hauts-de-France, to discover the Eurasante Park. Arriving there, we were immediately struck by the contrast between the urban landscape and the green surroundings of the park. A true city within the city, this space is home to laboratories, businesses and schools dedicated to health and innovation. This unique ecosystem in Europe brings together more than 300 players in the health sector, in a logic of cooperation and the transfer of skills. Here, numerous projects coexist to bring the technology park to life: research on vaccination, virtual reality device dedicated to the rehabilitation of patients or even the development of a cutting-edge surgical robot. In this technological lung Made in France, two words are king: diversity and innovation, so that science, technology and people are the elements of a virtuous circle.

Etienne Vervaecke, Director General of Eurasante, retraces the history of this extraordinary technological hub: “As is often the case, it all started from an observation,” he says, “That of seeing talent leave for structures that allow them to develop better in order to promote their research work carried out at the Lille University Hospital”. At that time, François Grateau, director general of the Lille University Hospital, and Pierre Mauroy, mayor of the city, imagined a structure “Capable of creating a link between the CHU and the economic world, by providing the region with a tool to support young innovative structures”.

Thus, at the very end of 1993, the Eurasante association was founded by the Region, the Urban Community of Lille, the City of Loos, the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and the Fédération Universitaire Polytechnique de Lille and the Polytechnic University Federation of Lille. Three years later, it changed into an Economic Interest Group, and began the construction of its famous Eurasante Park on an area of 4.5 hectares straddling the south of Lille and the town of Loos. With this installation, which it originated, the Lille University Hospital became a veritable juggernaut, thus becoming the largest employer in the region.

By positioning itself as a pioneer in business incubation, Eurasante quickly met with some success, allowing it to extend its services to sectors related to the health sector. Eric Vervaecke says: “Faced with the demand from companies in new sectors, new incubators have been born.” This is particularly the case of Eurafood, dedicated to local products and their logistics, Eurasénior, the first incubator in Europe aimed at the Silver Economy, or Vivall, the incubator specializing in the sports sector. Etienne Vervaecke recalls: “Since its creation, Eurasante has evolved enormously, our activities go beyond the health sector, and we have diversified our services”.

Indeed, in addition to its original mission of promoting research, Eurasante is a driving force for innovation at all scales. Today, the missions of this economic development agency are to promote research, to stimulate and support the creation and development of innovative companies, to promote the territory internationally, to animate the sector, to boost innovation and to organize international events. As its name suggests, Eurasante has always been a project focused on Europe.

If at the local level, the Eurasante Park hosts 200 companies and 4000 employees, in addition to the 17,000 employees of the CHU. If Eurasante can boast of being a real economic lung of the region, Etienne Vervaecke affirms it: “We have always aimed for a European dimension, because in this sector, it is essential to have an international vision”. In fact, each year, the agency organizes four specialized European business conventions. These grand masses of innovation make it possible to connect companies, researchers, investors and public decision-makers in the health sector, and to promote partnerships and business opportunities.

In addition to these events, Eurasante participates in European cross-border or interregional cooperation projects, such as the LEAP-BIO project, which aims to facilitate the transfer of technologies and the exploitation of assets in the initial phase of development in the field of biotechnology. Through these actions aimed at the outside world, the agency contributes to the technological influence of France, Etienne Vervaecke concludes: “France has always been a place of welcome for many researchers. For the future of research, it is essential to cultivate this attractiveness.”