HEADLINES
Commissioner Andriukaitis on the GMO proposal
On 8 June, Commissioner Andriukaitis addressed ENVI MEPs on the GMO proposal, which would allow Member States to ban the use of GMOs approved for import at EU level. As EuropaBio, we stand by Commissioner Andriukaitis when he states that “banning GM imports means doing away with our capability of producing food”. The EU depends on imports for over 80% of its vegetable proteins. And as Commissioner Andriukaitis put it “there is very little non-GM Soya on the world market and the little there is, is way more expensive”. Read more and watch the video of Committee meeting
Report of the event on OMP regulation available
On 26 May 2015, Members of the European Parliament Philippe De Backer and Françoise Grossetête hosted an event celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Orphan Medicinal Products Regulation (EC 141/2000, hereafter OMP regulation). The event, coorganised by EuropaBio and EFPIA, was an opportunity to review the achievements made possible by the OMP regulation but also to underline challenges ahead. Read more in the summary report, discover the presentations and flash back in pictures.
EFIB 2015: agenda announced
EuropaBio and Smithers Rapra, in association with bio.be, are pleased to announce the agenda for the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy, taking place on 27-29 October at SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre. Find out why Joanna Dupont-Inglis, Industrial Biotechnology Director at EuropaBio, believes that there are many reasons for optimism in 2015.
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Healthcare Biotech
Advanced therapies classification
The European Medicines Agency has released a new reflection paper discussing how products are classified as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). In addition to explaining the classification procedure and definitions of ATMPs, EMA's reflection paper also discusses several scientific principles involved in classifying these products.
Health & biotech funds stood out
Modest gains in the stock market in May meant gains for U.S.-stock fund investors. Particularly strong have been health/biotechnology stock funds, which rose 7.5% in May and are now up 16.2% for the year to date. Some hedge funds are positioning for a pullback in the popular sector. Read more in Wall Street Journal
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Agricultural Biotech
"GM food - cultivating fears"
On 8 June, the BBC Panorama programme, entitled ‘GM Food- Cultivating Fear’, covered the issues around GM crops and focused on two particular GM crops: Bt brinjal (a GM aubergine grown in Bangladesh), and a GM potato being developed in the UK. A number of notable figures, such as Prof Jonathan Jones, Mark Lynas and Doug Parr (Greenpeace’s Chief Scientist), were interviewed to offer evidence for ‘growing scientific and political weight supporting GM.’
Anti-GMO campaigns "morally unacceptable"
Campaigning against the use of GM crops in Britain is “morally unacceptable”, according to the former head of the UK arm of protest group Greenpeace. Stephen Tindale accused green groups like Greenpeace of “putting ideology before the need for humanitarian action” by repeatedly targeting the development of GM crops in the UK.
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Industrial Biotech
Growing biofuels on land nobody wants
Despite improvements in efficiency, global aviation emissions are expected to grow 70% by 2020 from 2005. A new project in Abu Dhabi is seeking to grow sustainable food and aviation fuel in the desert, using seawater and sunshine, in a way that is eminently transferable to similar arid regions around the world. Find out how the project solves the biggest environmental problems
Bioenergy & sustainability
The new SCOPE report is the outcome of an assessment that included a meeting held at UNESCO, Paris, in December 2013. Fifty experts discussed bioenergy sustainability across its whole lifeline and crosscutting aspects including energy security, food security, environmental and climate security, sustainable development and innovation.
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BioFIT is the leading partnering event in Europe for open innovation, technology transfer and collaborative research in the field of Life Sciences. As EuropaBio member, you benefit from a 25% discount on BioFIT 2015 regular registration fees. To benefit from this discount, please contact Mélanie Moxhet.
BioJapan has played an important role in facilitation interaction between Japanese and global companies/organizations and stimulating new business opportunities. The event will hold 200+ seminars and 7000+ one-to-one meetings. Find out more about the schedule and register now!
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KEY DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
- 16 June: Celebration of 5 years Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant | Inauguration of our 15.000 Liter Bioreactors (Ghent, Belgium)
- 23 June: EuropaBio's Benefits of Biotech Event (Brussels, Belgium)
- 23 June: From bugs to business: Unlocking the Bioeconomy in Europe - High level policy maker conference (Brussels, Belgium)
- 24 June: Tour of the Bio Base Europe pilot plant (Ghent, Belgium)
- 19-22 July: Bio World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology (Montreal, Canada)
- 9-10 September: Nordic Life Science Days (Stockholm, Sweden)
- 12-18 October: European Biotech Week
- 14-16 October: BioJapan (Pacifico Yokoshama, Japan)
- 27-29 October: European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy (Brussels, Belgium)
- 16-17 November: Biolatam (Santiago, Chile)
- 1-2 December: BioFIT (Strasbourg, France)
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