What IMS (Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg) does

IMS (Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg) is an academic drug discovery institute affiliated with the Université de Strasbourg, operating in Illkirch-Graffenstaden and Strasbourg, France. It was created in 2021 as the successor to Laboratoire d'Excellence Medalis (founded 2011) and is organised around three integrated pillars: Medalis (drug research centre running pre-clinical research across 12 laboratories and approximately 200 researchers), Euridis (a school of management for drug innovation offering the DU RIT diploma and the DDD Challenge student competition), and Inedis (an entrepreneurial maturation centre supporting spin-off creation).

The institute's technology base covers medicinal chemistry, peptide engineering (notably the FluoroPEP platform and Peptide P140, currently in Phase III for lupus), fluorogenic GPCR imaging probes (Turn-ON), single-cell droplet microfluidics, GPCR-based immuno-oncology (via Domain Therapeutics), and nanoparticulate drug delivery. Its proprietary chemical library contains 578 compounds and PCBIS is an ISO 9001-certified screening platform. The institute's research spans oncology, autoimmune diseases, neuropathic pain, infectious diseases, and rare disorders.

Commercially, IMS does not sell products. It is funded through French public research programmes (Investments for the Future, LabEx, ITI), competitive grants (ANR, ERC), corporate partnerships, mécénat donations routed through the Fondation Jean-Marie Lehn, CIFRE doctoral subsidies (€14,000 per doctoral student over 3 years), technology licensing to pharma companies, and equity in its spin-off portfolio. Since 2011, IMS/Medalis has launched at least 13 documented start-ups (Domain Therapeutics, HiFiBiO, Inoviem, Syndivia, PeptiMimesis, ADAPTHERAPY, Biodol, MicroOmix, Find Therapeutics, Celtarys, Recobia, Serendip, plus one in formation) that have collectively raised over €110 million. Customers include pharmaceutical companies outsourcing pre-clinical research, hospital networks (via ADAPTHERAPY), academic laboratories, and graduate students.

Name

IMS (Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg)

Legal name

Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg

Website

https://ims.unistra.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IMS (Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg) is an academic drug discovery institute affiliated with the Université de Strasbourg, operating three pillars — Medalis (pre-clinical research across 12 laboratories), Euridis (innovation management training), and Inedis (spin-off incubation) — to translate academic science into therapeutic candidates and biotech start-ups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic pharmaceutical research and drug discovery services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls) (HLAAAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Immunotoxicology & Immunogenicity Assessment (HLAGAFAH)

Keywords

• Academic drug discovery
• Pharmaceutical research institute
• Biotech startup incubation
• Technology transfer licensing
• Medicinal chemistry research

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Research Grants: Funding from French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation through programs like Investments for the Future, LabEx designation, and ITI evaluation
2. Corporate and Private Donations: Mécénat donations from companies and individuals supporting drug research, with tax benefits through Foundation for Chemistry Research (60% rebate on IS for companies, 66-75% for individuals)
3. Training Programs: DU Research and Therapeutic Innovation program, CIFRE doctoral subsidies (14,000 euros over 3 years per doctoral student)
4. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Revenue from licensing technologies and patents to pharmaceutical companies and spin-off companies
5. Start-up Equity: Inedis supports creation and development of start-ups from research, generating ecosystem value

Go-to-market motion2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IMS is an academic drug research institute that operates three integrated pillars: Medalis conducts pre-clinical drug discovery and develops therapeutic molecules up to Phase II clinical trials; Euridis delivers interdisciplinary training programmes (Diplôme Universitaire Recherche et Innovation Thérapeutique, DDD Challenge) preparing future managers of pharmaceutical innovation; and Inedis incubates biotech start-ups born from IMS research. The institute monetises its outputs through technology licensing, sponsored collaborative research, training fees, and equity stakes in spin-off companies rather than selling finished pharmaceutical products.

Product overview

IMS (Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg) is a unique European institute organized around three complementary pillars: Medalis (drug research centre conducting pre-clinical to phase II research), Euridis (management school for drug innovation offering interdisciplinary training), and Inedis (entrepreneurial maturation centre supporting biotech start-ups). The institute also runs the DDD Challenge student competition and offers the DU Recherche et Innovation Thérapeutique academic program. IMS supports a portfolio of spin-off companies including Domain Therapeutics, Inoviem Scientific, HiFiBiO Therapeutics, Syndivia, PeptiMimesis, ADAPTHERAPY, Biodol Therapeutics, MicroOmix, Find Therapeutics, Celtarys Research, Recobia Therapeutics, and Serendip innovations. Additional services include the ISO 9001 certified PCBIS platform for high-throughput screening and the IMS Chemical Library of 578 compounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medalis Drug Research Centre Conducts high-level pre-clinical research on therapeutic molecules from preclinical stage to Phase II clinical trials, supporting drug development across cancer, inflammation, autoimmune, infectious, neurological and metabolic diseases.
• Euridis School of Drug Innovation Management Interdisciplinary training school in drug discovery and development management, preparing students for careers in pharmaceutical innovation through the DU RIT diploma, DDD Challenge and CIFRE doctoral subsidies.
• Inedis Entrepreneurial Maturation Centre Incubator supporting creation and development of biotech start-ups emerging from IMS research, providing mentorship, structural support, and connections to SEMIA, SATT Conectus and Biovalley France.
• DDD Challenge (Drug Discovery and Development Challenge) Interdisciplinary student competition where pairs develop research projects on unmet medical needs under mentorship from private and academic partners, with winners awarded PhD funding and operational budget for therapeutic innovation projects.
• Diplôme Universitaire Recherche et Innovation Thérapeutique (DU RIT) Interdisciplinary university diploma developing therapeutic innovation and technology transfer skills, open to students from chemistry, biology, biotechnology, physics and law disciplines.
• PCBIS High-Throughput Screening Platform ISO 9001-certified service laboratory dedicated to identification of active molecules, offering assay development, chemical library screening, and ADMET property determination to academic and industry users.
• IMS Chemical Library Collection of 578 diverse chemical compounds combining real and virtual components, available for research projects and pharmaceutical innovation targeting.
• ADAPTHERAPY PREDMED Algorithm Diagnostic algorithm developed by ADAPTHERAPY predicting efficacy of available targeted therapies and immunotherapies to help oncologists select optimal treatments for cancer patients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 new start-up per year since 2011 - unmatched record for French academic drug research centre
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Fondation Jean-Marie Lehn (Fondation pour la Recherche en Chimie)coreOthersHistoric partner of Medalis and IMS, recognized as charitable organization (utilité publique) linked to University of Strasbourg. Mission to support research in chemistry and related fields. Can deliver tax receipts for donations (60% IS rebate for companies, 66-75% for individuals).
• Merck KGaAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Domain Therapeutics on identification of M1069, an A2aR/A2b receptor antagonist, under exclusive worldwide licensing arrangement.
• SEMIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExisting structure supporting Inedis in structuring and mentoring company creation from IMS programs.
• SATT ConectuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology transfer partner supporting maturation and commercialization of research innovations from IMS laboratories.
• Biovalley FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional life sciences cluster partner supporting IMS innovation ecosystem and company creation.
• Evotec FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. François Autélitano from Evotec serves on Medalis Scientific Advisory Committee, bringing industry perspective to research evaluation.
• Idorsia PharmaceuticalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Vincent Malaterre from Idorsia serves on Euridis Pedagogical Advisory Committee, contributing industry expertise to training programs.
• Okayama UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership with joint research between Alain Wagner's team (Strasbourg) and researchers at Okayama University, Japan.
• Institut des Neurosciences de MontpellierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership contributing to BIODOL Therapeutics spin-off development.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Institut Pasteur: French non-profit research foundation based in Paris with 12+ spin-offs and a long-standing technology-transfer arm. Directly comparable to IMS as a French life-sciences research foundation that translates academic science into biotech start-ups through a dedicated incubation function.
• Institut Curie: French cancer-research foundation with a dedicated valorisation arm (Institut Carnot Curie Cancer) producing spin-off companies in oncology. Comparable to IMS's Medalis/Inedis structure: an academic research core, training programs, and structured tech-transfer pipeline.
• Vienna BioCenter: Multi-institutional academic bioscience campus in Austria hosting IMP, IMBA, GMI and several biotech spin-offs. Directly comparable to IMS as a European academic drug-discovery cluster with explicit start-up creation as a strategic mission.
• ETH Zurich: Swiss public university with one of the strongest academic spin-off creation records in Europe and dedicated tech-transfer office. Comparable to IMS as an academic drug discovery / life-sciences powerhouse with deep industry partnerships and alumni-founded start-ups.
• Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC): German Helmholtz-affiliated biomedical research institute in Berlin with active technology transfer and start-up formation. Comparable to IMS in scale and structure: a translational research centre with affiliated labs producing biotech spin-offs.

Broad incumbents

• Broad Institute: US (MIT/Harvard) biomedical and genomic research institute with extensive pharma partnerships and significant spin-off/tech-transfer activity. Comparable to IMS as a leading academic biomedical research platform linking chemistry, biology, and clinical translation.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: UK genomics and biomedical research institute with translation pipelines and start-up formation (e.g., Congenica, Microbiota). Comparable to IMS in academic biotech translation and industry-partnered research infrastructure.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental European life-sciences research organisation with translation programmes and industry engagement across sites in Heidelberg, Hinxton, Hamburg and elsewhere. Comparable to IMS as a pan-European life-sciences research platform with translation pipelines.
• Karolinska Institutet: Swedish medical university with comprehensive academic drug discovery and a long-running track record of spin-offs (e.g., BioVica, Oncopeptides). Comparable to IMS as a European academic medical research institution with training plus tech-transfer pillars.
• INSERM: French national biomedical research institute (parent-affiliated to many IMS labs) operating INSERM Transfert for valorisation and spin-off support. Comparable to IMS as the dominant French public biomedical research entity with structured tech-transfer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMStrasbourg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsXjc0_I0gYQwPI3GThe4Gw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-du-m%C3%A9dicament-de-strasbourg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IMS (Institut du Médicament de Strasbourg)