The European gateway www.toolsofscience.eu has been launched, with entries from 13 bioregions across Europe. The bioregions have collected information on the best facilities and service companies from their regions in a searchable database. National and regional financing opportunities to support R&D projects of life science companies are also featured, as well as guidelines and useful links to collaboration tools.
Tools of Science provides an easy way to identify the right partner for scientific services. The online tool today displays around 200 entries, and is currently expanding with a number of bioregions on the waiting list. Researchers and entrepreneurs can navigate in the database structure using keywords or categories such as region, development phase or specific field of science.
“Reaching milestones in the development of young technologies strongly depend on finding the right service provider who meets the highly specialised requirements of biotech SMEs” says Horst Domdey, CEO of BioM Biotech Cluster Development in Munich.
There are also guidelines and templates for facility sharing and information on funding opportunities to be downloaded from the gateway. The “Guidelines to shared facilities” result from many years of experience within the clusters and provide advice to academic groups wishing to set up new shared facilities. The “Template for interregional collaboration” displays information and advice about diverse aspects of research project management and partner match-making.
The European gateway Tools of Science was developed within the scope of the EU-funded ABC Europe project. ABC Europe (2009-2012) brings together 13 experienced life science hot spots in Europe with the support of CEBR the Council of European Bioregions. The overall aim of the ABC Europe project is to internationalise life science SMEs, bringing together clusters across Europe more formally in supporting their regional and SME development.
“We knew that together we could deliver excellent services through our combined efforts and this is proving to be the case”, says Claire Skentelbery, network manager of CEBR and secretary general of the European Biotechnology Network (EBN).
The following bioregions across Europe are involved in the project:
- Chamber of Commerce, Milan, Italy
- One Nucleus, London-Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Heidelberg Technology Park, Heidelberg, Germany
- INNOVA, Debrecen, Hungary
- Medicen, Paris, France
- Matimop, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Alsace Biovalley, Alsace, France
- Bioindustry Park Silvano Fumero, bioPmed innovation cluster, Turin, Italy
- Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona, Spain
- BioWin, Wallonia, Belgium
- Medicon Valley Alliance, Medicon Valley, Denmark-Sweden
- BioM Biotech Cluster Development, Munich, Germany
- Stockholm Science City, Stockholm, Sweden
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