BioExcel-2 Deliverable D5.3 - Business Model Design Report

One main objective of BioExcel as a publicly fully funded project is to exploit opportunities for commercialization of products and services stemming from its activities, as well as identifying a range of funding schemes for long-term sustainable operations. This deliverable presents the work undertaken to date with respect to inspection of a viable business model based on the experiences from research conducted in the first phase of BioExcel. To avoid repetition, we have not included results and conclusions already presented in previous deliverables (see footnote 1 on page 6).

Using the widely adopted Business Model Canvas tool, we analyse the value chain of infrastructure, offerings, customers and financing. Workflows (WF) solutions (generic and custom ones), which package core applications with auxiliary tools for molecular modelling, have been identified as products that are highly needed by the wider communities. They improve the productivity of researchers, allow for efficient utilization of compute resources and lower the time to solution of complex scientific problems. The value of the WF products is considerably increased by providing alongside them a catalogue of complementary training services which have already reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 to 9 through BioExcel efforts. Market analysis shows the pharmaceutical industry as a major potential customer, with a market size sufficiently big to support commercial offerings that will be sustainable. User surveys and focus group meetings with industry representatives showed concrete areas of interest such as virtual screening, current issues with existing software solutions (e.g. price, long- term sustainability considerations, trustworthiness of results when using closed- source tools, etc.) and highly desirable tools and features (e.g. automation, performance, expertise, etc.). We know, from the S&T partners in the consortium, that many of the large pharma companies use some of the software tools brought into BioExcel by these partners. However, it is important to note that in addition to this existing usage, we have seen further concrete interest from industry to access BioExcel expertise and other tools which are not purely part of the molecular modelling domain, particularly use of the Common Workflow Language (CWL) in commercial environments.

Consortium partners are in position to provide the necessary resources in terms of expertise and tools for delivery of the offerings during the project lifetime. Moreover, an extensive network of partner contacts as well as BioExcel agreements with third parties bring additional leverage to our activities. Effective delivery of effort towards commercial activities is however subject to various constraints from the consortium partner institutions. It has been challenging to identify a suitable governance model for the legal body that accommodates the existing complex requirements. We consider Social Enterprise as the best choice of legal entity, formed as a virtual organization, and are taking the necessary steps towards its establishment.

The work presented here will feed into the business planning activity which is the next exercise to be undertaken towards the planned deployment of a commercial operational arm of BioExcel CoE.