EIB and UCB join forces to accelerate 'best-in-class' research pipeline

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and UCB are partnering  to help us turn some of the promising compounds in our research and development (R&D) pipeline into new medicines. This is the first partnership of its kind between a biopharmaceutical company and the EU's long-term funding institution and it is aimed to accelerate advances in medical science.

Through this partnership, EIB and UCB have co-designed a new way of funding medical research by which EIB will share the risks and potential rewards inherent to drug development. The Bank's “at risk co-development funding” will make up to €75 million available for the development of selected UCB compounds. UCB and EIB will engage in the co-development process through a Joint Steering Committee. In return, EIB will receive payments when and if predefined milestones are met. This is inventive in the worlds of finance and research.

EIB greatly appreciated UCB’s focus on bringing superior value to patients and described UCB's R&D pipeline and drug development expertise as 'best-in-class'. This has been a perfect match to EIB's ground-breaking approach to funding R&D.

This partnership now allows us to accelerate the development of our promising programmes and we are therefore thrilled that EIB chose UCB as the first company with which it will partner for this innovative funding scheme : successfully completing those developments will bring benefits to UCB, EIB and patients around the world.