FAQs

CISI scrl is a limited liability, nonprofit company, and its shareholders ensure the benefits arising from the presence of public shareholders (synergies with laboratories and researchers at UniMi and CNR, access to brilliant young researchers, access to common services, privileged access to UniMi and/or CNR IP for development through incubated companies and/or partnerships) and the private nature of CISI scrl (flexibility, rapidity and autonomy in the decision-execution process).

Strictly speaking, neither of the two. The aim of CISI scrl is to work as glue between the public and private sector, helping to create new Life Sciences start-ups through its dynamic incubator function, and helping the progression of research projects by providing chemistry-based scientific support. It is thus neither a service company (no-profit nature, incubator function) nor an integrated R&D company (chemistry-based Platforms and Technologies), but rather an ideal partner for adding value to business propositions and research projects in Life Sciences.

Because of its "hybrid", public-private nature and of its role as Life Sciences incubator, CISI scrl favors the establishment of relationships based on collaboration and strategic contributions rather than service/customer-driven relationships. CISI scrl therefore prefers the participation in the increased value of an incubated company or in an accelerated project (equity holding in the incubated company, success-dependent milestone payments and royalties in an accelerated project) rather than a pure fee-for-service model; this is an appealing model for young and dynamic biotech companies, with a limited budget and little capacity in chemistry, but having skills and IP to be exploited to discover new biologically active principles.

The senior staff (Prof. Carlo Scolastico, Prof. Pierfausto Seneci, Prof. Cesare Casagrande, Dr. Vincenzo Rizzo) held prominent management positions in public and private research institutions in Italy and abroad. Some of them have participated in the creation of a start-up biotech company as a founder, and are familiar with the funding process through public and private capitals, and mergers with other biotech companies. All have access to a large Italian and international business network (VCs, business angels, public funding bodies) and have extensive experience in the preparation and submission of proposals for public funding at regional, national and European level. It should also be mentioned the strong synergy available through the project "Milano Crea Impresa-The Incubator Network of the City of Milan", created in collaboration with Alintec and promoted by the Municipality of Milan - Research, Innovation and Human Resource Department, which ensures a multi-disciplinary, coordinated Business Development plan designed to build awareness about the five Incubators among national and international funding agencies, science parks and research centers.

The senior staff (Prof. Carlo Scolastico, Prof. Pierfausto Seneci, Prof. Cesare Casagrande, Dr. Vincenzo Rizzo) has accumulated considerable experience in virtually every therapeutic area in several Life Science environments (multinationals, biotech companies, academic labs, etc.). Three key lab people have several years of experience in the private pharmaceutical sectors (GSK, Nikem, Cell Therapeutics) and know how to manage projects internally, or interacting with an industrial partner. The other lab researchers are selected, through our close relationship with UniMi, among the best and most motivated graduates or Ph.D., and after 1-2 years of apprenticeship in an "expert" neighborhood they also become able to contribute to the strategic progression of a research project.

Since 2008 CISI scrl has become an integral part of the project "Milano Crea Impresa-The Incubator Network of the City of Milan", created in collaboration with Alintec and promoted by the Municipality of Milan - Research, Innovation and Human Resource Department, in which CISI scrl acts as the Incubator of Biotechnology and Life Sciences. Each year CISI scrl commits to examining a number of business proposals, formulated by researchers from public or private labs, and guarantees that some of these will be provided the necessary business (formulation of a sustainable Business Plan, identification of sound financing strategy, management support, administrative assistance, logistics-office space) and technical-scientific support (the formulation of a cost-effective and scientifically sound development plan for R&D projects, support to project management, chemical support through CISI scrl Platforms and Technologies, logistics-laboratory space).

CISI scrl has up to now operated primarily through its network (UniMi, CNR, personal networks), but it is our intention to broaden the base from which to obtain novel, valuable incubation proposals. Thus, no limitations exist: anyone who believes to have a meaningful business idea in the Biotech/Life Sciences sector is encouraged to contact us, if only to expose the preliminary idea in a non-confidential version. This can be done using the email address ideas@cisiscrl.com, outlining the proposal and giving us an address at which we may provide a first feedback and, if both of us agree, start working on an incubation project.

The quality of the scientific content is obviously of vital importance, but other factors are too. For example, intellectual property: it is useful to have an IP position on the key assets needed to develop the idea, or at least to have a workable strategy leading rapidly to the protection of important results (NCE patent for compounds, biological target patents, etc.. ) either through key experiments or licensing IP from third parties. It is important to sketch the validation of the idea through a few key experiments at reasonable costs, leading to value increase which makes the proposition more attractive to funding agencies; a preliminary market analysis, listing both the potential applications of the company products and the main competitors; the enthusiasm of the proposing researcher(s) to actively participate in the future activities of the company, the potential involvement of third party institutions in co-financing of the new company, either as funds or as allocation of resources.

No, CISI scrl is an incubator and as such it acts. Through its facilities and expertise at the POLO, and through access to financial support from the project "Milano Crea Impresa-The Incubator Network of the City of Milan" promoted by the Municipality of Milan - Research, Innovation and Human Resource Department CISI scrl assists the incubated company throughout the process leading to its establishment and its initial funding. In detail, we define an Activity Plan for the first 2-3 years of operation, including estimated expenditures and IP protection; we identify an appropriate funding scheme for the start-up phase (usually public financing); we draft the documents necessary for funding applications (including Executive Summary and Business Plan) and, where necessary, for the negotiation of needed IP; we manage the funding-licensing process; we define a Business Development strategy, including participation to key scientific and business events. Once secured the required funding, CISI scrl will continue to support, at least partially, the company's management.

Incubation by CISI scrl takes place during the early stages of existence of the start-up company (at least 2-3 years post-foundation), usually without any compensation for the support, thanks to the contributions payable to CISI scrl through the project "Milano Crea Impresa-The Incubator Network of the City of Milan" promoted by the Municipality of Milan - Research, Innovation and Human Resource Department, CISI scrl prefers to operate as a leading partner, as well as an incubator, and typically requires an equity position in the incubated company, which may vary between 10 and 20%.

As said before for incubation, to date CISI scrl operated primarily through its network (UniMi, CNR, network management personnel), but we intend to broaden the base of companies that may want to establish chemistry-based collaborations. Once more, no limitations exist: any Biotech/Life Sciences research lab having an R&D project which needs chemical activities (computational, medicinal, combinatorial/parallel and/or analytical) is encouraged to contact us, if only to obtain a preliminary assessment of feasibility, timing and of human and financial resources needed. This can be done addressing a non-confidential project description, outlining its key features and the desired objectives, to ideas@cisiscrl.com, giving us an address at which we may provide a first feedback and, if both of us agree, start working on an acceleration project.

No. All members of CISI scrl, ranging from management to the laboratory staff are fluent in English and can safely hold discussions, participate to decisions and record lab experiments with English-requiring partners. In additions, within CISI scrl some people are fluent in French, German and Spanish, if this were a requirement to establish an effective collaboration.

CISI scrl plans to become more efficient in the search for business ideas (Life Sciences incubator) and for scientific and technical partnerships (Project accelerator), mostly through the newly released Website and through participation to some key events in Europe and US. We plan to increase our capacity in terms of management of entepreneurial ideas (access to a wider pool of business experts) and acceleration project (hiring of scientific personnel, buying needed equipment). We will also plan an expansion of the available lab and office spaces that could be implemented starting from late 2010 - early 2011.