This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Nicolas Paris, CEO of life sciences firm Gilson and board chair for BioForward Wisconsin.
Madison-based Gilson is an 80-year-old UW-Madison spinoff company with subsidiaries in France that makes instruments used for scientific research.
Along with highlighting the company, Paris shares his experience from a recent state-led trade mission to Europe, which he joined alongside Gov. Tony Evers and officials with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
“The trip in Europe was mixing the best of both worlds,” Paris said in the interview, recorded the week after he returned from overseas.
Paris references economic development conversations that happened between Wisconsin officials and local counterparts, ranging from potential future trade missions to agribusiness and cheese.
And he touches on political discussions that took place, emphasizing that “the U.S. and France or U.S. and German relationship is going to still be there and continue” regardless of tensions related to the Trump administration.
He also notes efforts to build on existing partnerships with certain regions of France, as well as opportunities in specific fields such as theranostics, an approach to precision medicine that relies on radiotherapeutics.
“We went to Dijon where there is a strong cluster on radioimaging and therapeutic solutions here, where in Wisconsin we are more focused on diagnostic, and in France they are more focused on treatment,” he said. “So this very technical discussion here about how to collaborate and how to get these industries together.”
Paris says BioForward is “really focusing this year” on international collaboration, and is hosting its Wisconsin Biohealth Summit event in October.
“That becomes really a national event, and part of it will be to have more of those international delegations,” he said.
