The latest from the 5th Framework Programme

Budget agreement

After lengthy negotiations, the Parliament and the Council reached agreement on the EU's 5th Framework Programme (FP) (1999-2002). The budget is 4.61% higher compared to the previous one, bringing it to a total of EURO 14,960 Mio. A minimum of 10% of the budget will be reserved for SMEs.

The 'Quality of life' programme will receive the following budget (all in EUROs):
* food, nutrition and health: 290 Mio
* control of infectious diseases: 300 Mio
* the cell factory: 400 Mio
* environment and health: 160 Mio
* sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestries: 520 Mio
* ageing population and disabilities: 190 Mio
* generic activities: 483 Mio
* support for R&D infrastructures: 70 Mio

New Advisory Bodies

The new European Research Forum (ERF) will reflect on, debate and advise the Commission on RTD policies. It will study strategic issues relating to the formulation and implementation of EU Research and Innovation policy.

Furthermore, 278 experts were appointed for the 17 new External Advisory Groups (EAG) assisting the Commission on the content and orientation of the RTD key actions under the 5th FP. Each group will propose guidelines for defining the work programmes. For the area of Life Sciences, 5 groups have been formed.
The areas covered by the groups and the names of the experts in all these groups are available from the ACTIP Secretariat or can be found at:
http:/europa.eu.int/comm/dg12/fp5/eag-names.html

Source: Eur-Op News, 4/98.

Launch 5th FP in Essen
25-26 February 1999

On 25 and 26 February 1999, the European Commission is holding a major conference to launch the 5th Framework Programme. The purpose of the conference is to present the new features of the programme, to explain to interested parties how to participate, and to give examples of particularly successful European research projects of the previous programme.

This conference will be of interest to current and potential research project coordinators, as well as representatives
from science, industry, and those institutions concerned with science and technology.

The two-day conference will have six focal points:

* an explanation of the EU's new research programmes, which together make up the 5th Framework Programme;
* a presentation of the services and expertise offered by the Joint Research Centre;
* a series of workshops enabling potential coordinators to find out how to participate
* presentations of some particularly successful research projects;
* an exhibition of research projects supported by the European Union, as well as stands for different programmes, enabling participants to have direct contact with current participants, potential partners, and Commission officials;
* a cyber-café and an electronic bulletin board system.

All programme and registration details are available on the specific Conference webserver:

http://events.relatech.fi/fp5/

or

http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg12/fp5/conference.html

Costs are 125 EURO. You may also contact the ACTIP Secretariat for (practical) details.

First Call for Proposals in March!

It is highly likely that the first Call for Proposals for projects in the 5th FP will be issued early March. If you plan to submit a project in one of the Life Sciences areas, we advise you to start preparations now! and to attend the conference in Essen for practical information on how to prepare for a contract etc. We'll keep you informed, and advice you to regularly check DG XIIs website:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg12/index.html

BSE Surveillance

The draft revised guideline document of the CPMP, entitled 'Note for Guidance on Minimising the risk of TSE agents via Medicinal Products', is available on request from the ACTIP secretariat.

The following news items were taken from Eur-Op News, 4/98:

The Commission has proposed wide-ranging measures to protect humans and animals from the risk of exposure to transmissable spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) through food and feed production. Prevention and control of all animal TSEs will be brought about by, for example, notification of cases, removal of specified risk material, education, inspection, and control of imports. See for details document COM (98) 623.

The Commission's second bi-annual BSE follow-up report states that a large part of the work programme has been completed. Principal actions were rapid diagnostic tests for BSE in bovines, assessment of geographical risk, risk of transmission, inspections and control. See also: COM (98) 598 fin.; web: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/health/bse/bse11_en.htm

The UK export embargo has been lifted. Certain products derived from bovine materials can be exported to other Member States, with a passport system in Great Britain for bovines born after July 1, 1996. See: COM (98) 656 fin.

However, there has been a decision to ban all exports of Portuguese beef and live cattle in response to escalating fears of a BSE epidemic in the country. See Decision 98/653/EC, Official Journal L 311, 1998.

If you are interested in veterinary inspection reports related to the occurrence and prevention of BSE, you might want to visit:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/health/sc/index_en.html

Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD) seems not to be transmitted through blood products, according to the Scientific Committee on Medical Products and Medical Devices. See the web: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/health/sc/scmp/outcome_en.html

On the web

US Job database on the web

The US Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), and SciWeb, a leading resource center publishing on the web, co-sponsor a web site, the BIOCareer Center, located at

http://www.biocareer.com

The BIOCareer Center has fully searchable databases of job candidates and job openings from entry-level administration to Ph.D.-level positions in the bio-technology industry.

Information on tenders/subsidies

It can be quite difficult to find out about tendering information and opportunities for funding. Try the visit the following sites of the Commission (use the usual Commissison web address http://europa.eu.int/comm.....followed by):

......comm/dg/specpr.html for scientific research opportunities

......comm/dg13/13call.htm for telecommunications, the information market and the evaluation of research

.......comm/dg22/callg.html for opportunities for education, training and youth

In development is a one-stop shop for all EU calls for tenders:

http://simap.eu.int/

Help for SMEs

Two interesting sites designed to help European small businesses (SMEs): the site of the European Union of Crafts and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (UEAPME) and the site of an organisation which helps European SMEs develop successfully, the European Business Network. They can be found at respectively:

http://www.wk.or.at/sme-web

and

http://www.citizen.be/ebn

News from EMBO

Meet an EMBO Fellow

EMBO (the Europan Molecular Biology Organization) has a very well established reputation for its courses, workshops and EMBO fellowship schemes in molecular biology. Internationally, EMBO long-term fellows are considered to be a bit of an elite among their peers. Normally, their work is disseminated through publications, but now it has been decided to provide interested parties a first-hand opportunity to learn of the results of research started in 1996 and to meet the postdoctoral fellows involved in the research. The EMBO fellows having finished their postdoctoral research period are generally available for employment.

The EMBO Fellows meeting will be held:

For more information, contact the ACTIP Secretariat or Prof. Frank Gannon, EMBO, fax + 49 6221 387 114

EMBO Workshops 1999

In ACTIP Bulletin 11 we gave the 1999 list of EMBO Practical Courses. We then promised to give the listing of EMBO Workshops of potential interest to ACTIP members. Here we only give a keyword and the date. For more information, contact the EMBO or the ACTIP Secretariat:

X-ray free electron laser: April 19-22

Steroid and nuclear receptors: May 23-26

Membrane trafficking: June 26-30

Mech. of transposition: June 27-July 1

Funct. org. of the cell nucleus: Aug 9-12

Mol. and cellular gerontology: Sept 18-22

Protein phosphorylation and protein phosphatases: Sept 19-24

Muscular diseases: Sept 26-Oct 1

Neuronal circuits: Sept 26-Oct 1

Stem cells etc: Oct 7-10

Lymphocyte antigen receptor: Nov 6-10

FGFs and their receptors: Dec 5-9

Research in short

First DNA vaccine success

Company PowderJect Pharmaceuticals has announced the first successful human trial (phase 1b) of a DNA vaccine against hepatitis B. Eleven subjects who completed a course of DNA vaccine were all found to produce sufficient antibodies to protect against the disease. The DNA was attached to microscopic gold particles and shot directly into target cells, using a supersonic blast of helium. Source: News Direct 9/12/98

Allow cloning of human embryos?

The UK Human Genetics Advisory Commission and the Embryological Authority have advised the UK government to ban human cloning but to allow embryo cloning (only in culture) to allow scientists to search for new therapies. This separates the issue of reproductive cloning from therapeutic cloning. Embryo cloning could help in the search for new therapies in the management of degenerative diseases and organ transplantation. Source: news Direct 9/12/98

Grants to MediGene for cardiac research

MediGene has received, from the German Ministry of Science and Technology a three-year, EURO 750,000 grant to develop gene therapies for the treatment of cardiac disease. It will collaborate with research groups at the universities
of Hamburg and Wurzburg on the development of cardiomyocyte cell
culture methods for high-throughput validation of its candidate products.
The company has also been awarded a two-year, 315,000 EURO grant by the
Bavarian state government, under which it will study interactions between proteins that contribute to cardiac disease. Source: SCRIP, 18/11/98 (S00603112 B)

Xenotransplantation gene patent

Cell-bound sugars are believed to be largely responsible for hyperacute rejection of animal organs transplanted into human recipients (xenotransplants). The enzyme gal-transferase is responsible for the synthesis of these sugars. Company Alexion Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a US patent (No. 5,821,117) covering the cloned pig gal-transferase gene. The patent was issued to the Austin Research Institute of Victoria, Australia, and is licensed worldwide exclusively to Alexion.
The genetic engineering of pigs with cells
that do not express sugars targeted by the human immune system may prevent rejection of xenotransplants.

Publications

R&D Annual Statistics 1998

The publication R&D Annual Statistics updates you on R&D and patent applications in the EU and the EEA. Germany, France and the UK account for approximately two-thirds of both R&D expenditure and personnel. Compared to 1995, R&D expenditure increased with 3.8% in 1996. The total represents about 1.9% of the EU's Gross Domestic product (GDP), but is well below corresponding figures in the US and Japan. The report can be ordered from the EU's regional publication centers (see the web) and has catalogue number CA-16-98-603-EN-S, 195 pp, 43 EURO.

Software for patent applications

The European Patent Office (EPO) has developed software, including the EASY software package enabling applicants to prepare European patent applications in electronic format. For more information: European Patent Office, Schottenfeldgasse 29, A-1072 Vienna, Austria. Fax: + 43-1 512 265 491. Web: http://www.european-patent-office.org/

Various

From EcoSoc, the Economic and Social Committee of the EU: a free report on 'Resistance to antibiotics as a threat to public health'. EcoSoc, Rue Ravenstein 2, B-1000 Brussels; fax + 32 2 546 98 22. Web: http://www.ces.eu.int

A publication by DG XII: Human Genome Analysis supported under Biomed I (free in English only). Apply to: Manuel Hallen, DG XII, fax + 32 2 29 553 65. Email: manuel.hallen@dg12.cec.be

Published in the Official Journal now: Directive 98/81/EC amending directive 90/219/EEC on the contained use of genetically modified organisms: Official Journal L 330, 1998

The User's Guide for SMEs in the biotechnology field provides practical views on the responsible authorities (member state and EU wide) and on the availability of EU funding (such as venture capital, 5th FP etc). Email: biotech-users-guide@dg3.cec.be; Web:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg03/publicat/bio/index0.htm

The list of 154 projects selected following the 4th and final call for proposals for the BIOTECH programme is available on the website of dg12. In all, 462 projects were funded between 1994-1998.

Abstracts from a Neuroinformatics workshop held in Potsdam on June 24-27, 1998. Request from: http://itb.biologie.hu-berlin.de/neurinf98.html

Cell communications in Neurosciences is a book of abstracts of the 45 projects, involving 241 labs, supported under the Biotechnology programme. Contact Line Matthiesen (fax +32 2 299 18 60) for a copy.

AGENDA

A number of interesting conferences and workshops is coming up. Of all the events mentioned here, the detailed programmes and registration/application forms are available from the ACTIP secretariat.

Cost containment and new technologies for Biotech Process Development and Manufacturing

February 23-24, 1999, London

Organization: Vision in Business Ltd, tel + 44 171 256 51 88; fax + 44 171 256 93 93; email: postmaster@ visibis3.demon.co.uk; Web: www.visibis.com

Practical course on cell culture technology for health applications

March 2-12, 1999, Oeiras, Portugal

Organization: Prof. Manuel Carrondo & Dr. Hansjorg Hauser, IBET & GBF.
Tel: + 351 1 44 277 87, fax: + 351 1 442 11 61, email: iribeiro@itqb.unl.pt or download the application form from http://www.gbf.de

BioGenTec Forum NRW - International Meeting on Biotechnology

March 15-16, 1999, Cologne, Germany

Organization: Cologne Communication Management, tel + 49 221 92 57 930; fax: +49 221 92 57 93-93; Web: www.biogentec.de

2nd Conference of the Biotechnology and Finance Forum

March 26-29, 1999, Lyon, France

Organization: EASD (European Association of Securities Dealers) and the European Commission, DG XII. EASD, tel + 32 2 227 65 65; fax: + 32 2 227 65 24; email: easd@easd.com; Web: www.easd.com

Biotechnology courses:

Advanced Good Manufacturing Practices for Biotechnological Products

April 13-16, 1999 and

Advances and trens in antibody engineering and manufacture

April 18-22, 1999

Organization: S&T Courses, Leiden University, tel + 31 71 521 54 43; fax: + 31 71 521 72 72; Web: http://www.SandTcourses.nl

Communication skills for scientists (workshop)

April 21-24, 1999

Organization: E. Goldwyn, fax + 44 181 878 5031; Email: 100640.700@compuserve.com

BIO'99: International Biotechnology Meeting & Exhibition

May 16-20, 1999, Seattle, Washington

Organization: BIO. For information and registration, visit www.bio.org

Impact of genomics on medicine

May 18-19, 1999, Munich, Germany

Follows conferences on Gene Quantification Europe (May 13-14) and Genomic Partnering Europe, May 16.

Organization: Cambridge Health Tech Institute, USA. website: www.healthtech.com; fax +1 617 630 1325

9th European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB9) and BioTop 99, a biotechnology exhibition

July 11-15, 1999, Brussels

Organization: ECB9 and Brussels International Trade Fair. For all information: Documenta, tel + 32 2 510 23 14; fax: + 32 2 510 26 15; email: secretariat@ecb9.be; web: www.ecb9.be

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