The Tremplin INCEPTION program is an innovation support initiative developed as part of the INCEPTION program.
Designed as a springboard for emerging ideas, this program aims to support the development and maturation of innovative scientific projects led by young scientists from a variety of disciplines related to public and individual health.
The ambition of the Tremplin program is to intervene early in the innovation process, at a stage when projects are still exploratory, in order to help project leaders structure their approach, build their skills, and chart viable paths, whether academic or applied.
Why ?
Identify, support, and promote innovative ideas proposed by young scientists.
Provide a pathway for skill development by mentoring and training project leaders as they refine their ideas.
Who ?
Post-baccalaureate students (undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral candidates)
Graduates (technicians, design or research engineers, and postdoctoral researchers)
... from all disciplines compatible with the INCEPTION program’s focus areas: biology, medicine, mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, and social sciences.
Looking back on first edition
For this inaugural edition, six laureates were selected on the basis of their profile and the nature of their project, and took part in an intensive three-day programme held at the end of March 2026.
At the heart of the Tremplin, five sessions delivered by key players in the Île-de-France innovation landscape gave laureates a broad and practical understanding of the innovation journey. Representatives from CNRS Innovation (Mohand SADOUDI), AP-HP (Jeanne FURON), Université Paris Cité (Stephane ILLIANO), Institut Pasteur (Corinne SARRAZIN) and SATT Paris-Saclay (Kenza BELHAJ) each covered a different facet of this pathway — from intellectual property protection and technology transfer to research valorisation, innovative project development and the interface between academia and industry.
One of the highlights of the three days was a roundtable with three entrepreneurs, giving laureates an unfiltered look at the realities of scientific entrepreneurship. Cécile Naït, co-founder of BioHive, Élodie Brient-Litzler from Avatar Medical, and David Bikard, founder of Eligo Biosciences, each shared their experiences candidly — covering pivotal decisions, obstacles faced along the way, and the driving forces that led them to take the leap from research to entrepreneurship.
These rich exchanges fostered genuine dialogue between established entrepreneurs and early-career researchers still defining their own trajectory, a deliberately chosen format designed to go beyond simple testimony and spark personal reflection among each laureate.
What comes next : heading towards October 2026
The INCEPTION Innovation Tremplin does not stop here. The programme continues with a pitch training workshop scheduled for June 2026, designed to help laureates build and refine how they present their project to a jury. This preparatory stage will lead up to the final pitch, the culminating moment of the entire scheme, which will take place during the closing event in October 2026.
A first edition that lays strong foundations for establishing the INCEPTION Innovation Tremplin as a landmark event in the Île-de-France biomedical innovation landscape.
