ROMANIAN PHARMACEUTICAL R&D PROJECT

The promoter is a Romanian mid-cap in the pharmaceutical sector. The project will support research and development (R&D) activities to develop new pharmaceutical products addressing unmet medical needs and investments to to implement the company's digitalisation processes.

The aim is to accelerate the promoter's growth and development plans by upscaling the manufacturing capacities and capabilities of essential (generic) drugs. The project is in line with the EU plan to encourage the expansion of manufacturing capacity of pharmaceutical products in Europe, thereby reducing dependency on third-party countries, which is also a core pillar for pandemic preparedness and response.

The Project would not be carried out to the same extent without support from the InvestEU Fund. Its financing (i) contributes to the InvestEU primary objectives of research, development and innovation, health and Midcaps, with cross-cutting objectives of economic and social cohesion; (ii) addresses the failure in financial markets for RDI-driven MidCaps suffering from systemic shortages of large, non-dilutive financing options for growth investments requiring a longer time horizon with inherently higher levels of risks. RDI is associated with externalities, ie. positive knowledge and technology externalities, through the creation of innovative processes, products and services and through skills development and upgrading, which the Company generally fails to internalize, leading to underinvestment.

The Project's objectives including the development of innovative production processes and potentially new medicinal products, should make a significant contribution to the health and well-being of the European population. The expansion of the development, production and R&D capacities of a company operating exclusively in a European cohesion area, addresses the employment needs of a locally underserved population.

The EIB loan's long tenor combined with flexible drawdown and repayment terms are instrumental to the successful implementation of the Project. It also helps secure a state aid of EUR 17m.

The promoter's investments in (i) upscaling the manufacturing technologies and processes (ii) digitalisation and (iii) research, development and innovation activities are expected to be carried out in existing facilities already authorised for the same purposes. The project neither falls under Annex I nor Annex II of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2011/92/EU amended by Directive 2014/52/EU, therefore the project is not subject to an EIA. A full environmental and social assessment will be done during the project due diligence.

As a private company, not operating in the utilities sector, the promoter does not have the status of a contracting authority. As such, it is not covered by the relevant EU Procurement Directives. The promoter has nevertheless to ensure that the related procedures comply with EIB's procurement guidelines for private sector projects. Further details will be verified during the project due diligence.