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HEADLINES
Ireland focuses on bioeconomy to maximise national income, exports and job creation
Over a 2-year period starting in December 2014, a multi-disciplinary research team led by Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Development Authority) will assess Ireland's natural resources and core strengths, and match these to global market opportunities. The research will then identify up to 8 commercial opportunities that could be viably deployed by Irish-based producers and companies in short-term, and make recommendations on the development frameworks. Read more
Spanish Parliament makes institutional declaration in support of biotechnology
The declaration was signed during the year's last plenary session of the Congress of Deputies, on 18 December. The plenary session also congratulated and seconded the commitment of the organizations that promoted the Year of Biotechnology, ASEBIO, Fediotec, SEBIOT and FEDIT. Read more
The battle of the scientists: are Europeans becoming more hostile to science and technology?
Europe continues battling over finding ways to work out how to ground policy in sound science. A recent story in the Economist reports, among others, that the European challenge of protecting and embracing innovation needs to be more carefully addressed in the following years, with the new team of Commissioners now in post. Read more
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Healthcare Biotech
Evaluating biosimilar medicines
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has updated its methods for providing guidance and advice on biosimilars, as their availability and use on the NHS grows. Read more
Pharmaceuticals: going large
Due to more and more difficulties in finding new cures quickly enough to replace those on which the patents are expiring, many drugmakers turned to biotechnology for solutions. As in other areas of drug research, there have been setbacks as well as successes. However, steady progress is being made in creating "biologics". Read more
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Agricultural Biotech
Britain needs GM crop revolution, says minister
Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Lizz Truss said: "[GM crops] have a role to play here in Britain. I think our farmers need access to the technology that will help them work in world markets." Read more
Crop biotechnology and the challenges of feeding a world of 10 billion
If modern science is to contribute to the agricultural productivity increase required in coming decades as the climate warms and the human population continues to grow, it is necessary to acknowledge the safety record of GM crops, and ease the regulatory barriers to their development and deployment. Read more
Seeds of change
GM crops may soon flourish in Britain's fields. The debate about GM food has been over for some time and it is now simply a matter of whether the leaders will take action. Read more
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Industrial Biotech
Slovakia will have a biorefinery to produce second-generation bioethanol
The Slovak Republic will have a biorefinery that will deliver 55,000 metric tons per year of cost-competitive cellulosic ethanol while using non-food biomass as its feedstock. The start-up of the plant is expected in the first half of 2017. Read more
Why bacteria could be the answer to a future without oil
New advanced methods for industrial biotech enable the use of engineered bacterial cells in developing chemicals to replace processes presently dependent on petroleum. Work is already in progress to explore the potential of using waste to grow bacteria or other micro-organisms that could make chemicals such as ethanol for use as "biofuel" for cars and aeroplanes. Read more
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EVENTS
- 29 January, IP infrastructure for SMEs: the business perspective, Milan, Italy
- 29 January, BioEntrepreneur Forum 2015: Belgium meets Paris region, Liège, Belgium
- 10 February, Patenting and licensing life-forms. A debate or a reality?, Liège, Belgium
- 11 -12 February, Industrial Biotechnology Showcase 2015, London, UK
- 27 February, 8th Berlin Conference on IP in Life Sciences - BIOCOM, Berlin, Germany
- 09-13 March, IP, ethics and the utilisation of academic research in health and life sciences, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 31 March, Forum For Agriculture 2015, Brussels, Belgium
- 14 April, Swiss Biotech Day 2015, Basel, Switzerland
- 15 - 16 April, Biovision - The World Life Science Forum, Lyon, France
- 15 - 17 June, Latvian Presidency Conference: First Innovative Enterprise Week, Riga, Latvia
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