European Commission supports new developments in biotechnology

The European Commission today presents “100 Technology offers stemming from EU Biotechnology RTD results”, a catalogue of biotechnology developments arising from EU-funded research projects over the last 10 years. This guide will help to put researchers and companies in contact, hopefully leading to new and innovative products and processes based on this research. Examples featured in the catalogue include applications for food and plant biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals and biomedical technologies to support diagnostics and therapy. Each technology offer is described, including its potential for future commercial exploitation, and contact details are given for the researchers and the owners. “100 Technology Offers” is an example of how the European Commission is supporting the transformation of research into innovation.

Brussels, 20 December 2005

“Growth and jobs are fuelled by innovation and innovation is fed by research,” said Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research. “With this publication, the Commission is helping researchers to make their results known and put new technologies at the disposal of industry that can make the most of them.”

“100 biotechnology offers” includes results from the 4th, 5th and 6th Framework Programmes. Examples include:

– A small Slovenian company, BIA separations, which recently defended its intellectual property at the European Patent Office against big industry. The issue is one of monolithic chromatographic supports, which are used for the purification of pharmaceuticals and biologicals;

– Belgian start-up Cilbiotech, which improves the scale-up of cell cultivation for the production of human and veterinary vaccines. This new technology can for example increase the coverage of vaccines that may not currently be available to some sections of the population due to allergies.

All examples show that technologies developed by small biotech companies are ripe for future exploitation, and that issues relating to intellectual property need to be resolved if this is to take place in the best way.

Over the last 5-10 years, the Commission has required projects to develop a technological implementation plan, as part of making scientists aware of issues relating to intellectual property and entrepreneurship.

An online version of the booklet can be downloaded from: http://www.cordis.europa.eu.int/lifescihealth/src/leaflet.htm