- 05/12/2024

BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity invests in Anima Research Center

3 min

Clinical research with a heart for humans and science

“When we founded Anima in 2018, we wanted to build a team of experts that could deliver the best and most efficient clinical trials,” says Dr Erik Buntinx, CEO and Principal Investigator of Anima. "Our ambition? To help patients and bring high-quality pharmaceutical products to market."

Today, Anima is one of Europe’s most successful clinical research centres. It significantly outperforms the industry average in terms of patient acquisition and adherence (97%), resulting in fewer delays in clinical trials. The centre owes its success to:

• a professional, experienced team – expertise and experience in conducting clinical trials take precedence over specific therapeutic knowledge.
• its patient-centric approach to recruitment for clinical research – patients make an informed decision about their participation.

“An extremely important milestone”

“The collaboration with BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity is an extremely important milestone in Anima's further development,” explains Dr Buntinx. "This deal is a powerful endorsement of our approach and also strengthens our position as a leader in clinical trials. I am proud of what we have achieved and look forward to putting our successful blueprint into practice in Europe and the United States."

Under the deal, BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity will acquire a minority share in Anima. The investment will give the research centre the resources to expand its activities quickly. It plans to open facilities in the Netherlands in 2025 and Germany in 2026. In the longer term, there are also plans to expand to the United States.

A deal that reflects our values

BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity invests in Belgian companies that stimulate innovation and growth and share our bank’s Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) values.

Sven Vermeulen, Investment Manager at BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity says, "Anima is committed to optimising the approach to clinical trials, to achieving better patient outcomes, and to promoting sustainable healthcare practices. This is consistent with our ESG framework. We are therefore very pleased to support such a purpose-driven company.”

Read the press release to find out more about the deal and to learn more about Private Equity.