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February
2006 - Issue 9
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First-year EuropaBio membership
fee includes a free video-clip on Channel Bf worth €500
Channel Bf is new video-based communication service offering
biotech companies the opportunity to efficiently present their
business to candidate investors and corporate partners
www.channelbf.com
EEI & EuropaBio Press release
http://www.europabio.org/articles/CHANNEL%20BF%20EUROPABIO%20PR-EN_FINAL.pdf
GM
vaccinations for Animals – EuropaBio invited by World Health
Organisation for Animal Health to submit paper
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is currently
preparing a special issue of the Scientific and Technical
Review on the topic of ‘Animal Vaccination’ and
invites EuropaBio to write a paper devoted to ‘Public
acceptance and regulation of genetically modified vaccines
(including food safety aspects)’.. Companies with an
interest in this should let us know as soon as possible. Contact
Adeline Farrelly (a.farrelly@europabio.org)
Europe is missing out on the agricultural biotech revolution
says agbiotech pioneering scientist
Prof. Dr. Marc Van Montagu, Chairman International Plant
Biotechnology Organisation (IPBO) Gent University and president
of the European Federation of Biotechnology, told journalists at
a press conference in Brussels that Europe is missing out on the
biotech revolution in agriculture.
http://www.europabio.org/ne_190106.htm
EuropaBio reports on EMEA incentives for Orphan Medicines
Orphan medicinal products are eligible for fee reductions at the
EMEA. However, with effect from 2006, the fee reduction policy
in the post–authorisation phase will be limited to the first
year except for SMEs. Fees for inspections have been waived.
Fee exemptions for 2006 include:
- Full (100%) reduction for protocol assistance
• Full (100%) reduction for pre-authorisation inspections
• 50% reduction for new applications for marketing authorisation
• 50% reduction for post authorisation activities including
annual fees during the first year after marketing authorisation
for all applicants; after the first year, this will continue to
apply only to small and medium sized enterprises.
http://www.emea.eu.int/pdfs/human/comp/404201en.pdf
Commission invites EuropaBio’s views on future patent policy
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on
future patent policy and on what measures should be taken in the
near future to improve the patent system in
Europe. Deadline is
31
March 2006. EuropaBio’s IPR working group to lead on this.
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/38&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
EuropaBio
reports on EU Patent costs
The EPO has recently published a study on the estimated cost of
a European patent. The study carried out by the consultancy
company Roland Berger consists of a survey of 254 companies that
have obtained patents by the EPO in 2002/3. The sample included
160 European, 43 US and 51 Japanese companies from all
industries, including also 34 SMEs. This business survey was
complemented by surveys of translation services and attorneys in
order to cross-check the results. The introduction of the report
states that the total cost of obtaining a standard Euro-direct
patent in 2003 was EUR 30 530.
According to some of the results of the survey the cost of
biotechnology/pharmaceuticals patenting is around double the
cost for patents in electrical engineering, essentially due to
longer patents (more pages) and validation in more countries.
There is no statistically significant difference between the
cost of European patents for large companies and SMEs (EUR 41
560 vs.
EUR 39 580).
A company from an EPC state will pay on average EUR 24 100 to
have a Euro-direct patent granted and validated. A US company
will pay EUR 10 250 to have a USPTO grant. A Japanese company
will pay EUR 5 460 to have a JPO grant. Higher cost in Europe is
due to the cost of translation at the processing stage and
validation (not applicable to the US and Japan). Although they
differ across patent offices, official fees play a minor role in
the total difference: applicants' estimates are at EUR 3 470 at
EPO, EUR 2 050 at USPTO and EUR 1 570 at JPO.
EU
strategy on biofuels in pipeline
The
European Commission is to publish an EU strategy on biofuels,
probably at the beginning of February if inter-service
consultation is not held up.
EuropaBio has set up a BioFuels Working group
with a kick off meeting planned soon. This is also
a topic in the new High Level Group on Environment and Energy
resulting from the new Action Plan on Industrial Policy.
Contact Dirk Carrez (
d.carrez@europabio.org)
Mc
Kinsey publishes industrial Biotech survey
Mc
Kinsey has made available the results of their survey to
EuropaBio in which they report the main trends and drivers
influencing industrial biotechnology over next twenty years.
Contact Dirk Carrez (d.carrez@europabio.org)
Five EU countries jointly launch call for
proposals for biotech SMEs
The
ERA-NET EUROTRANS-BIO has launched a call for tenders in five
countries:
Germany; Austria; Spain (Basque Country); Finland and France.
The call addresses
transnational
collaborative research projects initiated by small and medium
sized enterprises (SMEs)
in the domain of biotechnology.
This
is the first call published by the ERA-NET, which was
established in October 2004 and will run for four years. By
working together, partners from the five countries involved
intend to assist biotech
SMEs
to excel, and to develop new products and services and introduce
them rapidly and effectively into international markets. The
ERA-NET is also working to coordinate the relevant financing
programmes in the countries involved.
The
closing date for the call is 28 February.
http://www.eurotransbio.net
Innovation
scoreboard: Mixed results
Latest European Innovation Scoreboard reveals that Sweden,
Finland Switzerland, Germany and Denmark are the European
innovation leaders. It warns that if trends for the 25 Member
States continue, the innovation gap between Europe and the US will not close.
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/21&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
GM crop acreage rises again
In 2005, more
farmers worldwide chose biotechnology according to figures
published by ISAAA on
January 11. Worldwide
acreage increased by 9.0 million hectares (22 million acres) in
2005. Four new countries
and a quarter million more farmers planted biotech crops as part
of an 11 percent increase in global biotech crop area.
http://www.isaaa.org/kc/bin/briefs34/pr/index.htm
The European Commission's Environment DG has launched a
weekly news alert service entitled 'Science for Environment
Policy'. Articles in the first issue include “improving the risk
monitoring of genetically modified plants”
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/integration/research_alert_en.htm
Speakers
Plaza - Register your profile online!
Would you
like to be considered to present at one of our upcoming
conferences? Do you want to take the opportunity to share ideas
with other colleagues involved in your sector? Do you have
expertise in specific fields and would like to share your
experience and knowledge? Then fill in our electronic form to
submit your application.
http://www.europabio.org/speakers.asp
EuropaBio Job PLAZA – Post your vacancies Free-of-Charge
The
EuropaBio Life Science Jobs in Europe database offers the possibility of
posting job vacancies in the European biotech industry. The database is
open to all European biotech companies; there is no registration or
login required.
Surf to and post at:
http://www.europabio.org/jobs.htm
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