Europe

Ernst & Young’s 21st annual analysis of the standing of the biotechnology industry shows grounds for cautious optimism as European biotech perked up after a miserable four years of restructuring.

A tale of two cities: as the industry in Lyon trumpeted the benefits of biotech, MEPs in Strasbourg looked the other way, and declined to debate them

The EU is meant to be good at compromise. Not so on patents. As the latest compromise bit the dust, Commissioner McCreevy promised to have one, last, go.

For European tech start-ups, 2006 was the year that the traffic lights for money switched from red to yellow. Yet to be seen is whether they finally go green next year.

SAS chief executive Jim Goodnight says governments should buy computers for every European schoolchild to remain competitive.

Big pharma is hungry, and is paying biotechs breathtaking prices to fill its pipelines. This made for a heady atmosphere at BioEurope in Düsseldorf this week.

European venture capitalists are no longer prepared to take any risk with their investments, undermining the biotech sector. That, anyway, is the opinion of many a frustrated biotech entrepreneur.

Europe came a step closer to ensuring its future competitiveness last week when member states endorsed a programme of sustainable chemistry.

The claim that European public opinion contributes to the technology gap between the US and Europe is invalid, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.