Mentoring & Coaching for SMEs

Why should I participate? What will I learn? What benefit will it really have?

Providing much more than just advice, this approach offered by Fit for Health 2.0 focuses on delivering pertinent feedback with practical examples from qualified professionals in the field. Through on-site training and coaching Fit for Health 2.0 provides both the methodology and the tools with which the SME can develop and hone its core competencies, making it a more attractive business proposition.

Critical aspects of better understanding the business proposition:

• Horizon 2020 – Do you know how best to use this resource strategically?
• IPR - Do you know your IPR? Do you know the value of those rights? Do you have freedom to operate?
• Business Planning - Is your business plan clear and concise? Does it cover all you want it to? Do you have a licensing strategy in 
• Valuation - Have you an accurate valuation for your product / service?

These are all critical aspects of better understanding the business proposition that you will need to present on the road to potential commercialization.  FFH2.0 aims to better enable you to achieve your goals through preparation for the meetings that you will have with either potential partners and or finance experts.

Who will support you?

Mentors and Coaches

Hicham Abghay

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Hicham Abghay has a 15 year experience around technology transfer, innovation and EU research Management as senior project manager within Steinbeis Europa Zentrum. Among the main activities in this framework are innovation related technology and capacity assessment within SMEs.

Relevant projects / activities

• Chairperson healthcare sector group within EEN
• WP leader for exploitation of RTD results
• Key Account Manager for the SME Instrument in H2020 COSME
• Mentoring and coaching in enhanced innovation capacities management in EEN
• MERCOSUR IPR SME Helpdesk

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

The focus within Fit for Health 2.0 is the organisation of exploitation workshops and events.

Morris Berrie

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Morris S. Berrie is Co-Chairman of TTS Ltd and Managing Director of Tech Investor Ltd. The former globally facilitates deal flow in TTOs and the SME biotech sector, whilst the latter specifically consults and advises companies on ‘the business of science’, i.e. business development, strategy, licensing and capital raising. Prior to these roles he was the Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of the Biotechnology Investment Group.

Previously Morris S. Berrie was Head of Global Intelligence and Business Development for Nature Publishing Group, and before that, Director of the Investigational Drug database (IDdb), Current Drugs (now ThomsonReuters). He has also worked at GlaxoWellcome and Schering AG.

Relevant projects / activities

• Strategic market and business development
• Capital raising

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Dr Berrie’s role within Fit for Health 2.0 is to act as a mentor and coach, providing clear, and concise knowledge that will potentially expedite your business’s commercial development.

Frank Heemskerk

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Frank Heemskerk, CEO RIMS, combines a 15 year biomedical academic career, with 18 years in the private sector. As VP Business Development he supported the growth of the small company, through a merger, multiple private placements and finally an acquisition for 500 M€ by JNJ. He is former President of EARMA (European Research Managers assoc.) and co-founder of Proton Europe (Tech Transfer assoc) + Evaluator for the European Commission.

In 2002, Frank Heemskerk founded RIMS, a global network of > 4000 life science organizations, active in Europe, Latin America, Africa and India and is core partner in a number of EU projects, focusing on building Open Innovation networks to bring academic Knowledge to the Market.

Relevant projects / activities

• Strategic business development
• International partnering
• Global markets (emerging economies, BRICS & CIVETS)

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Dr Heemskerk’s role within Fit for Health 2.0 is to act as a mentor and coach, providing clear, and concise knowledge that can help your business’s development to create leverage between public and private funding.

Aitana Peire

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Aitana Peire, PhD is a business analyst at Venture Valuation, specialized on the independent assessment and valuation of private and public companies, products and patents. Aitana has prior experience with Pharma public companies, both in their valuation as equity researcher and as a consultant on market access, pricing and reimbursement, and budget impact modelling.
Aitana holds a PhD in Evolutionary Genetics from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and is a CFA Level II candidate.

Relevant projects / activities

At Venture Valuation, Aitana specializes in

• Valuation of life sciences companies that seek funds or of portfolio companies or potential investments for investors
• Valuation of projects for companies in the process of in-license/ out-license deal-making
• Partner search or identification of potential investments with the use of the proprietary Biotechgate database

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Aitana is providing training and coaching on financing, valuation and market assessment as well as dedicated mentoring for companies participating in the mentoring program within Fit for Health 2.0.

Joerg Scherer

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Founder and Managing Director of the European Research and Project Office (Eurice) GmbH, a German SME consultancy company offering high-level services in research and innovation management. He has over 15 years of experience in developing and implementing international research and innovation projects with over 500 clients from the academic and business sector, mostly financed through competitive public R&D funding programmes. In the framework of different regional and international innovation & business support projects, he provides consultancy with regard to Intellectual Property (IP) management and commercialization of research results.

Relevant projects / activities

• European IPR Helpdesk: Coordinator of an EU-wide IP training programme for SMEs and beneficiaries of EU projects with over 3,000 participants/year
• Enterprise Europe Network: Certified Key Account Manager to conduct Expert Innovation Management Audits for EU SMEs
• IP & Business consultancy; Tech-Transfer Activities

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Within the framework of Fit for Health 2.0 Joerg Scherer is providing IP & Innovation related training and coaching with a particular focus on boosting corporate business development through the exploration of international markets and collaborations.

Christian Soujanen

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Christian is Co-Founder/Chairman of the TTS Global Initiative and Partner at Valor Management S.A. A strategic adviser, he works intensively with a select few bio sector companies, funds and governments rather than on multiple projects.
His focus is on companies and initiatives with transformational potential to profoundly impact healthcare or the healthcare/bio innovation ecosystem. He is a member or several bio and innovation sector boards, steering committees and advisory groups across industry, government, and associations.

Relevant projects / activities

• Specialist in strategy and the planning and execution of collaboration, business development and access to finance
• Strong cross-border focus (Europe, North America, BRICS)
• Deep relationships with industry, venture capital, government and other key stakeholder groups

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Within Fit for Health 2.0 Christian will provide training for companies on strategy, market engagement, collaboration, partnering and access to capital, as well as mentoring to companies on the execution of these strategies.

Mentors

Ines Haberl

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Ines Haberl, PhD is supporting SMEs in the Life Sciences area at the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG. As Austrian National Contact Point for SMEs in Life Sciences she assists companies for their participation in Horizon 2020-projects. Ines coordinates the EU-funded project Fit for Health 2.0. She has prior experience as coordinator of several coordination and support actions under FP6 and FP7.
Ines is pharmacist by training and holds a PhD from the University of Vienna in Natural Sciences. She worked as a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna, where she completed 2 post-doctoral trainings at the Departments of Surgery and of Oncology.

Relevant projects / activities

At FFG, Ines specializes in

• Advice for Life Sciences companies focusing on Horizon 2020, in particular the new SME-instrument and Fast track to innovation
• Partner search with the use of the Fit for Health 2.0 database
• Trainer within the FFG-academy, supporting participants in Horizon 2020

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Ines coordinates the project Fit for Health 2.0. She is providing training for newcomers, applicants and for project management and dedicated trainings for the SME-instrument. As coordinator, Ines manages the cooperation with related initiatives and she offers mentoring for companies participating in the mentoring program within Fit for Health 2.0.

Jacques Viseur

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Dr Jacques Viseur is Managing Director at Eurotop Cooperation Partners, a Brussels-based management and communication company (www.eurotop.be).
Jacques has more than 20 years of extensive experience in innovation, and scientific cooperation and implementation at international, national and regional levels, and is the author of several publications in the field of innovation and technology.
Jacques holds an MSc in Agronomy and a PhD in Biotechnology from the FSA Gembloux (University of Liège), Belgium. He is inventor of a patent in plant biotechnology and a co-developer of the Xtranet-ISA, a professional web-based project management and communication tool.

Relevant projects / activities

Previous experience:

• Secretary-General of the Belgian BioIndustries Association (1996-2005)
• Executive Manager at Europe INNOVA Communications, an initiative of the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry (2007-2011)
• Support to international co-operation projects for the European Commission’s, such as SMEs go Health, Fit for Health, Euro-THYMAIDE, Food and Co, Organibio, BIO-NET and several EU National Contact Points’ networks.

Focus in Fit for Health 2.0

Jacques is supporting companies, organisations and academic researchers in their search for partners, project preparation and negotiation as well as dedicated mentoring for companies participating in the mentoring program within Fit for Health 2.0

euMatch development : new partnering and matchmaking platform helping to find and match researcher’s and companies expertise for participation in Horizon 2020 (currently 10.500 users).