Thomas Lau

News Editor Thomas Lau spoke to Florian Schönharting, a partner at the Nordic Biotech, a fund that has invested in Denmark’s Gastrotech BipPharma - a biotechnology company that recently merged with US biotech firm DOR BioPharma. Nordic Biotech, a specialised biotech venture capital fund focusing primarily on Nordic countries and the EU, has invested in Gastrotech since its inception in March 2003.

At any given time over 1.4 million people worldwide are suffering from infections they got from their health-provider, according to the World Health Organization. Pelias AG, a newly created affiliate of Austrian biotech company Intercell AG, is hoping to raise €15 million to €20 million to make a dent in those numbers.

Microsoft is to open more research centres in Europe, in a move to step up its research collaboration and boost students' interest in the technology field.

IP2IPO Group, which specialises in commercialising university technology, has made an exclusive 25-year deal with the University of Bristol to form spin-out companies from the university. Analysts greeted the deal as a boost for the company.

AB Volvo has hired Jan-Eric Sundgren, the president of Chalmers University of Technology, to become a member of its executive committee, overseeing the Swedish carmaker's ties with public authorities and academia.

The UK's National Collection of Yeast Cultures is looking for partners to help it to delve into research on using yeast to contribute to cutting edge science such as fingerprint DNA identification or drug delivery systems