With each of our innovator stories, we get a chance to meet the people behind EU-funded ideas, which have the potential to change our future for the better.
In this issue, we share an insightful conversation with Luca Emili, CEO and founder of InSilicoTrials. The Italian startup addresses the need for more efficient and effective clinical trials in the pharma industry by developing a new cloud-based platform of in silico tools to support new medical products’ development and regulatory submission.
InSilicoTrials made an impressive presentation at the first Innovation Radar Summit, winning the AI & Smart Devices Category of the Innovation Radar Prize 2023. They achieved around €3M in EU funding.
Tell us more about yourself and your work?
I am Luca Emili, the CEO and founder of InSilicoTrials. We develop technologies to support the creation of new drugs and medical devices using the power of in silico technology. The in silico method is the combination of algorithms, AI components, and big data to generate digital evidence supporting the decision–making in the development of life science products.
How did you start your journey, and where are you now on the road to achieving your ambition?
We started our journey in 2018, driven by the ambition to create a global platform that supports drug development and helps companies – being them big pharma, midsize pharma or biotech – to accelerate their own R&D.
We aim to establish InSilicoTrials as a trusted and reliable source for integrating their R&D processes, aspiring to become the worldwide market leader in this field.
What is the biggest impact EU-funding has had on your journey so far, and can you specify an outcome?
Combining the projects we are already working on with the one that is starting, we have received approximately €3 million in funding.
In these projects, the key value of our work lies in our role as the platform that facilitates the dissemination and commercialization of the models developed through EU-funded R&D, enabling them to reach the market.
Many scientific components represent excellent science, but they often do not translate into practical products that companies can use, which is a limitation for the exploitation of these tools.
We are addressing the need for a validated, specialised platform that facilitates the exploitation, dissemination, and commercialization of valuable scientific components. These components, developed through Horizon Europe projects, require such a platform to be effectively utilised by companies.
Have you already tested your product with clients? How was it like?
Certainly, our presence in the market is already established. This year alone, we have received orders amounting to over 2 million, either for the use of our platform or for support in leveraging our expertise.
What is InSilicoTrials’ greatest achievement to date?
First, we were able to create a significant network with over 70 partners so far, including research centres, universities, and hospitals. Also, we are active promoters of an initiative that gathered 130 researchers and 13 FDA experts to create a book that is going to be published by Springer Nature in March 2024, approaching good simulation practices. This book guides companies on how to conduct in silico trials.
Lastly, I want to emphasise that we have transformed the approach to modelling in Life Science R&D. We have turned something typically reserved for specialists into a tool that many researchers can now use, democratising the application of modelling and simulation.

How do you see InSilicoTrials making a difference in the future?
Our solution will be offered to many companies that currently cannot access such a technology due to their limited knowledge and resources. The complexity of user simulation currently restricts access to these tools to only a few companies. Our goal is to make this tool accessible to everyone. To make a comparison, now everyone can drive a car, but 100 years ago to drive a car you needed to have knowledge of mechanics, because every 10 kilometres you had to fix something.
Why was participating in Dealflow.eu’s Innovation Radar Summit 2023 important to you?
The Innovation Radar Summit provided us with a great opportunity to showcase our work and the positive results we have achieved. However, it is important to note that this is just the beginning. We aim to have a global impact, and to achieve this, we need to raise awareness, explore collaboration opportunities, and gather feedback on the benefits derived from European Union funds. The summit was the perfect platform for us to kickstart this effort.
What did it mean to you to be a winner of the Innovation Radar Prize?
We are very happy to be winners, but, for me, it was utterly unexpected. Our work revolves around a topic that, in comparison to other more amusing or intriguing applications, typically receives less attention, especially from those outside our specific market. The fact that we were the winners suggests a shift in the market. It indicates that what was once considered science fiction is now firmly on the innovation radar.
How would you define success and what keeps you going in the pursuit of it?
For us, success means leading the transformation in R&D. It is envisioning a future where professionals working with the EMA or the FDA confidently present results from insilicotrials.com because they find our platform reliable and trust its outcomes to advance the R&D of new drugs. Success, however, is not just about hearing this from individuals, it is about seeing a majority of global companies adopt this approach alongside us.
I am not referring to success in economic terms, but rather the success of an idea. What I mean is that our proposal and target aim to provide tangible benefits to customers and the market.

Article published by EurA AG.
About Innovator Spotlight Stories
The aim of innovator stories is to highlight and share with investors and relevant stakeholders in the industry, insights, and unique stories from some of the most innovative EU-funded project that Dealflow.eu is proud to support.
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