Second SME award for life sciences firm
A cell biology and culture firm in the UK has secured another major grant under Horizon 2020’s SME Instrument.
The win for AvantiCell Science, based near Ayr in Scotland, follows a successful application for phase one funding worth €50,000 under the SME scheme.
The phase two grant, worth nearly €2.1m and directed towards ‘demonstration, market replication, R&D’ according to the European Commission, will be used to create 3D printed cell models.
In comments carried by The Scotsman, Dr Jo Oliver, chief executive of AvantiCell, described the win as a milestone for the company. She said: “This phase two funding is a gamechanger from our point of view.
“It is a major piece in our progressive strategic plan and also a significant endorsement of the approach we’ve adopted. It will act as leverage for further development, including securing further investment.”
The results of the venture will be directed towards assisting in the testing of materials that could become lifesaving drugs.
There are three segments to the SME Instrument, with the third stage centred on commercialisation, though no EU funding is available for this phase.
