A bone inspired material was obtained by incorporating collagen in the liquid phase of an a -trical- cium phosphate cement, either in solubilized or in fibrilized form. This material was able to set in situ, giving rise to a calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA)/collagen com- posite. The morphology and distribution of collagen in the composite was shown to be strongly affected by the col- lagen pre-treatment. The interactions between collagen and the inorganic phase were assessed by FTIR. A red shift of the amide I band was indicative of calcium chelation by the collagen carbonyl groups. The rate of CDHA formation was not affected when diluted collagen solutions (1 mg/ml) were used, whereas injectability improved. The presence of solubilized collagen, even in low amount (1 %), increased cell adhesion and proliferation on the composites. Still in the absence of osteogenic medium, significant ALP activity was detected both in the inorganic and the collagen-con- taining cements. The maximum ALP activity was advanced in the collagen-containing cement as compared to the inorganic cement.