Following the publication of the European Commission?s report on Science,
Technology and Competitiveness key figures 2008 (1) EuropaBio, the European
biotech industry association, calls for an EU wide economic policy that
rewards research excellence and stimulates innovation.

?Europe?s innovators need a sustainable system of support from policy
makers. The report
confirms that the framework conditions that SMEs and innovative businesses
need are not in
place in Europe. Innovative industries need a cheaper EU-wide patent, less
regulation and a
system that rewards Europe?s best and brightest scientists so we don?t
continue our brain drain to the US? said EuropaBio?s Public Policy Director,
Dirk Carrez.

EuropaBio welcomes progress the European Commission has made to develop the
Small
Business Act for Europe and the work that has been undertaken to develop the
European
Research Area, but asks that particular attention be given to the specific
needs of the innovation industries. The biotech industry also calls for less
fragmentation and more coordinated funding across Europe.

Europe still lacks a seamless intellectual property regime. The current
system is fragmented
across the Member States and changes depending where the patent is filed.
There is a high
administrative burden and filing the patent itself is expensive (2).

Europe needs to lessen the regulatory burden on innovative industries. For
example, the
regulatory approval process in Europe has made European farmers less
competitive globally.
There has not been one new GM crop cleared for cultivation in the EU for ten
long years. Around 50 GM products are awaiting approval in the EU, 19 of
which are for cultivation. When European farmers are allowed access to GM
crops, they tend to grow them (3).

Innovative research is vital for the biotech industry which relies on Europe?s
best and brightest
scientists to develop ground breaking biotech products that will heal
patients, clean up the
environment and feed the world. High income taxes contribute to create the
brain drain to the
US.

Small and medium sized enterprises are the lifeblood of the biotech
industry. The biotech industry calls for policy makers to work with industry
to create a sustainable system of support for entrepreneurs as they convert
pioneering research into innovative products. ?Economic value can only be
created if innovative research is linked to economic policy that stimulates
and supports the commercialization of innovation. We must work harder to
transform the results of Europe?s scientific research to commercial reality?
said Willy De Greef, EuropaBio?s Secretary General.

Notes
(1) 2008 Science, Technology and Competitiveness (ST&C) key figures report
[ec.europa.eu]
(2) European Patent Office; The cost of a sample European patent ? 2005
study
[www.european-patent-office.org]
(3) Chart of EU biotech crop cultivation figures 2005-2008
[www.europabio.org]

EuropaBio
EuropaBio is the European Association for Bioindustries, solely and uniquely
bringing together
bioscience companies from all fields of research and development, testing,
manufacturing and
distribution of biotechnology products. It has 79 corporate and 5 associated
members, 5
BioRegions and 25 national biotechnology associations representing some 1800
small and
medium sized enterprises involved in research.
www.checkbiotech.org