Situated in the town of Evry, south of Paris, Genoscope - Centre National de Séquençage (CNS) - was created and developed in an environment rich in scientific and industrial resources in genomics and post-genomics. The Evry site was chosen at the beginning of the 1990s as the location for Genethon laboratory, financed by the Association Française contre les Myopathies (AFM). This laboratory was the site of important developments in the mapping of the human genome; since 1997 it has focused on research on vectors for gene therapy.

In October 1998, one year after its creation, the CNS acquired a new neighbor just across from its premises, the Centre National de Génotypage (CNG). A national resource center like the CNS, the CNG develops innovative technologies for typing polymorphisms in the genomes of individuals, and devotes its genotyping capacity to the identification of genes implicated in hereditary diseases. In July 2002, the CNS, the CNG and the National Genopole Network (Réseau National des Génopoles, RNG) were merged as a Groupement d'Intérêt Public (GIP), named Consortium National de Recherche en Génomique (CNRG). For more information about the CNRG, please refer to the CNRG electronic newsletter, which presents recent news of the Consortium.

Since 1998, the environment of Genoscope has become enriched by the development of the Genopole® campus.

Genopole® - Evry

Genopole® was created in 1998 on the initiative of the government (Ministry of Research), local collectivities (1), the University of Evry-Val d'Essone (UEVE) and AFM. Genopole® federates and animates a pole of research and enterprises by encouraging the development and installation of academic and research laboratories in the fields of genetics, genomics, post-genomics and related sciences, and by helping in the creation of start-ups. As of the summer of 2003, the Genopole® campus numbered 1700 employees spread over about 60 000 square meters of laboratories and offices.

Genopole® has been the driving force in the development and support of the life sciences teaching platform at the University of Evry-Val d'Essonne (UEVE). A PhD program entitled "From genomes to organisms" has been created in collaboration with the University of Versailles-Saint Quentin. At present, 5% of the 10 000 students are studying biology. In the research domain, UEVE has been active since 1998 in areas related to genomics including the Laboratory for Informatic Methodology (LaMI), the Complex Systems Laboratory and the Center for the Study and Research in Mechanics and Robotics (CERMA); this research component of the university has been strengthened since then.

Under the impetus of Genopole, the research pole of the Evry site has increased in importance with the arrival of academic laboratories affiliated with CNRS, INSERM, CEA and INRA, and with the installation in 2000 of a third national resource center, Infobiogen, which offers informatics resources for genomics. As of the summer of 2003, 23 academic laboratories are present on the Evry site, employing 900 persons, of which 200 are scientists. Technological platforms and common infrastructures are already available to research groups, or are being developed: transcriptomics, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, high speed computer network, electronic library, etc. Furthermore, an international conference center, the Genocentre, was opened in 2001.

In terms of the private sector, there were 43 biotechnology companies employing 471 persons on the Genopole® site as of summer 2003. In 1998 there were only a few companies present on the site, including the genomics company Genset. At the end of 1998 the Genopole® Enterprises "incubator" was created. With a surface area of 2500 square meters, it now includes 8 start-ups which benefit from logistics support and the shared use of common scientific equipment.

Genopole® is a member of the National Genopole Network (RNG), which also includes sites at Lille, Marseille, Lyon-Grenoble, Strasbourg, Montpellier-Languedoc-Roussillon, Toulouse and West (Rennes-Nantes). This network, which is the third component of the CNRG along with CNS and CNG (see above), has the vocation of encouraging the development of large-scale research in the biological domain, and the creation of biotechnology companies.

Furthermore, along with six other incubators (2), Genopole® is a member of the European Biolink Consortium. The seven bio-incubators of Biolink will elaborate a European guide of good practices for start-ups during the next 30 months, in order to help start-ups with promising projects. Beyond Europe, Genopole® is cementing partnerships with major international actors such as the Centre quebecois d'innovation en biotechnologies (Laval, Canada), the Chicago Technology Park (Illinois, USA), and has been approached for collaborations with Asiatic bioparks.

(1) Conseil régional d'Ile-de-France, Conseil général de l'Essonne, Communauté d'Agglomérations d'Évry-Courcouronnes-Bondoufle-Lisses, City of Évry.

(2) Center for Advanced Studies at Cardiff (United Kingdom), Oxfordshire Biotechnet Ltd (United Kingdom), Consorzio per l'assistenza alle piccole e medie impresso at Cagliari (Italy), Bio 11 AG Munich Biotech Development (Germany), Jerusalem Biotechnology Center (Israel), Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (Israel).