The event organised to mark the granting of this loan will take place at Transgene’s headquarters in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, in the presence of Ambroise Fayolle, EIB Vice-President responsible for innovation, Alain Mérieux, Chairman of Institut Mérieux, Transgene’s leading shareholder, and Philippe Archinard, Transgene’s Chairman and CEO.
This is a key loan, which will help finance Transgene’s new clinical developments for the treatment of infectious diseases, including chronic hepatitis B, virus-induced cancers such as HPV (human papilloma virus) and tuberculosis.
European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas commented: "This deal under InnovFin’s IDFF facility, once again shows the EU’s determination to tackle major public health problems. We hope that this loan will help to improve the treatment and quality of life of people affected by these diseases."
The EIB Vice-President said: "Supporting innovation is a priority for the European Union’s bank.
"And it is our responsibility to create the optimal conditions for financing clinical research, which is essential for developing new medical treatments. This is an innovative financing operation, which will have a real impact on the health and daily life of Europe’s citizens. The EIB is proud to be supporting Transgene with regard to these new innovation and development projects."
"Transgene has recently set itself new strategic ambitions concerning cancer immunotherapy and infectious diseases. The EIB loan will provide it with crucial additional resources to bring its innovative projects to a successful conclusion", stressed Alain Mérieux, Institut Mérieux’s Chairman.
"I am delighted with the confidence shown in Transgene by this leading financial institution. It recognises the quality of Transgene’s teams and its technological expertise, as well as the relevance of the medical products of this company, of which the Institut is the main shareholder."
EIB support for the development of Transgene should be seen in the context of the Horizon 2020 initiative, in particular the EU Finance for Innovators programme "InnovFin IDFF" (Infectious Diseases Finance Facility), which offers bespoke products for financing high-risk projects in the field of infectious diseases. This instrument is for financing the development of vaccines, medicines, medical and diagnostic equipment and research infrastructure.
The EIB Group has made innovation one of its priorities and in 2015 earmarked more than EUR 18bn for supporting basic, applied and clinical research programmes within the European Union.
In France, in 2015 18% of the Group’s activity, out of an investment total of just over EUR 8.7bn, was used to support innovation and research and development.