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A Chicago merchant bank will take a new twist on selling intellectual property next week when it holds a live auction to sell 400-plus patents from some of the most valued technology innovators in the world. Lori Valigra looks at the list.

The Scottish Funding Council has put up £870,000 in an initiative to provide a single point of access for matching the know-how within the country's 20 universities and research institutions with the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The UK budget last week set out measures to extract more value, improve quality and increase innovation from the billions the government spends on science. Nuala Moran looks into the small print.

A small UK charity has turned entrepreneur to develop a low cost, mass manufactured, modern device to pump the blood of people whose heart muscle is failing.

Philippe Pouletty is on a roll. One by one, the serial entrepreneur with a penchant for provocative lobbying is seeing his ideas become official French policy. But not everyone is pleased.

Sweden is ranked number one among 31 European nations for its spending on R&D - but it is still looking for its first home-grown biotechnology product.

For 30 years, the European Commission has been trying to fix the broken patent process, but keeps running afoul of entrenched intestests. Is it any wonder that European countries keep dropping in the world patent leagues?

A new wave of companies with rich backers plans to change how people interact over the Internet. But sceptics are still searching for a sustainable business model.

A Linköpings Tekniska Högskola spin-out has developed plug-in devices for the direct production of 3D animations. The company is now looking for a first private funding round.

Endorsed - if lukewarmly - by Europe's leaders, the plan for a "European Institute of Technology", now goes to the back rooms in Brussels for more cooking.

How do you take a pill before you wake up? Denmark's Egalet has found an answer, and is looking for partners to help develop it.

Romania is stepping up attempts to grow its R&D base and promote innovation with the opening an Office for Science and Technology in Brussels.

An Israeli academic has developed a virtual reality device to help people with neurodegenerative diseases to improve their walking. He is now seeking funding of about $500,000 to commercialise it and looking for manufacturing partner.

In a funk after years of stagnation and high unemployment, Germany is looking to an unlikely alliance between football and R&D to kick start the economy.

Acrongenomics Inc., a Swiss life science venture company and Molecular Vision Ltd., a spin-out from the Imperial College London, said they have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop diagnostic devices for diabetes, drug abuse, STDs and cardiovascular diseases.

There is much more to a nation's "brain power" than how much it spends on R&D and education. The OECD tries to assess the broader picture by looking at "Investment in knowledge".

The Semiconductor Industry Association in the USA is worried that the country will lose its "leadership in innovation and technology".

Deloitte's web site has a special section of detailed analysis of the UK budget and its support for R&D.

Napatech, a Danish company that specialised in raising the speed of Internet network appliances, said it has received $5 million from Ferd Venture, Northzone Ventures and existing shareholder DTU Innovation, a fund which is related to the Danish Technical University.

The President of the European University Association warns universities to get their act together. Governments come in for some stick too.