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Time and money are driving the world’s pharmaceutical companies east for their clinical trials. With its huge population, new helpful regulations and growth outstripping China, India plans to become the world leader in the clinical research business by the end of the decade.

Sworn enemies within the technology and pharmaceutical industries are joining forces in a lobbying drive to persuade European Union lawmakers to change a draft law they say will stifle innovation in Europe by criminalising patent infringements, along with all forms of intellectual property infringements.

European exchanges are opening back up for riskier ventures, and experts expect the trend to continue. But trade-sales should still dominate, says Mary Lisbeth D'Amico.

"I didn't think they would be at this stage for decades, let alone within a year." Gerald Schatten, colleague of Korea's stem-cell celebrity, before scandal broke

Lab-supply companies are normally in the business of selling things to scientists, rather than buying. But the new CEO of Sigma-Aldrich, one of the world's largest lab-supply firms, is shopping for new ideas, new partners - and new companies to invest in.

The countries of Scandinavia and the Baltic have got together to maximise the value of intellectual property, the feedstock of the knowledge economy.

Charges of scientific fraud in Korea aren't likely to faze Britain's ambitious stem-cell efforts, as evidenced by plans for a £40 million lab run by the 'father' of Dolly the sheep.

Just as most public research bodies embrace commercialisation as their raison d'etre, the UK Medical Research Council is reversing the trend and taking a company it span out earlier back within its fold.

The first investor-ready company has rolled off the production line in a scheme set up by the development agency Yorkshire Forward to commercialise research from the UK county's universities.