Guided by the Enterprise Europe Network, a tiny Italian company that designs high-precision sensors for the aerospace and environmental industries has teamed up with a German biotechnology firm to develop a biosensor with huge implications for stem-cell research.

Specifically, the biosensor would be used to help identify and isolate stem cells from other cell types. This could pave the way for medical research into new treatments for cancer, spinal-cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease.

The research is being funded by the European network of transnational research and technological development for SMEs in the biotechnology field ‘EuroTrans-Bio’ under the 7th Framework Programme.

“This is a great opportunity for our small company to work on an important international project,” says Gianluca Ferrini, CEO of Naples-based Novaetech. The company, a spin-off of Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics, sought a medical use for its sensor innovation.

For help, the three-employee firm turned to the Enterprise Europe Network, based in Portici, Naples, at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA).

With close to 600 offices in 50 countries, the Enterprise Europe Network is ideally placed to help entrepreneurs identify EU funding programmes and prepare applications. “Novaetech was very focused about branching out in a new direction,” says Fulvio Miraglia, a Network expert in ENEA’s technology transfer unit.

He shared Novaetech’s request with the Network. Within 10 days, a response came from tgcBiomics, through the Network's branch in IMG Innovations-Management in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

“Each side brings a valuable ingredient to the table,” says Simon Koerpert, Business Development Manager of tgcBiomics. “Thanks to the Enterprise Europe Network, we can move ahead with groundbreaking stem-cell research at European level.”

When the project is finished, the companies plan to exploit the project results and the new technology commercially, says Julia Dohnt-Glander, Network life sciences and technology transfer expert at IMG. “The market is wide open.”