PlumeSTARS srl, the start up at University of Parma, received a new financial funding within the Horizon 2020 program. In the last round of the EIC SME-Instrument Phase 1 – cut off of 13 February 2019 – 277 small and medium-sized enterprises from 25 EU countries have been selected for funding. PlumeSTARS is one of them.

PlumeSTARS got a contribution of 50,000 euros for preparing the Business Plan of its Orphan Medicine Hyalcis. The productis a Polymeric biodegradable film, loaded with cisplatin drug, the active substance for cancer treatment. The film, developed and tested in collaboration with the Department of Medicine & Surgery (Prof Paolo Carbognani) and Department Food & Drug (Prof. Fabio Sonvico) of the University of Parma, is proposed to be implanted in the thoracic surface after the removal of primary tumor in the pleural mesothelioma cancer. The product, already tested in animals, obtained the Orphan medicine designation and is on way for studies in human trials, with the goal of market authorization application.

Most of the selected SME-Instrument candidates are active in the ICT, health and engineering sectors: the beneficiary companies come from Spain (46), Switzerland (23) and France (22). 21 Italian companies are beneficiaries, including PlumeStars srl.

The SME- Instrument program is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot project, which supports high-level innovators, entrepreneurs, small businesses and scientists with funding opportunities and acceleration services.