CORDIS EXPRESS

28 years after they first began discussing the issue, EU Member States finally reached agreement on the creation of a Community patent this week. Greek Secretary General for research, Dimitris Deniozos, revealed to CORDIS News on 18 February that a breakthrough was imminent, and the intervening three weeks have seen intensive discussions, two compromise proposals and now, final agreement.

Agreement reached on Community patent

The EU Competitiveness Council reached agreement on the creation of a Community patent on 3 March, based on a compromise formulated by the Greek Presidency. Member States agreed to establish a unitary Community Patent Court by 2010, to deal with litigation, while the European Patent Office will retain sole responsibility for the granting of Community patents. It will be much less expensive to obtain an EU-wide patent under the new system, according to the European Commission, as companies will only have to pay around 25,000 euro, instead of their current expenses, which can reach as much as 50,000 euro per patent.

Commission issues warning on future of biotechnology

Urgent action is needed to reverse the downward trend in investment in biotechnology and the life sciences in Europe, according to a European Commission report published this week. Although private investment in these areas totalled 7.5 billion euro last year, levels of private funding are falling with the collapse of investor confidence in knowledge-based industries.

Competitiveness Council calls for action plan on 3 per cent target

Seeking guidance on how to increase research spending to achieve the 3 per cent of GDP target by 2010, ministers at the Competitiveness Council on 3 March invited the Commission to present an action plan on the issue before their next meeting. Member States' lack of progress on research investment will feature strongly at the forthcoming Spring European Council on the Lisbon goals of economic competitiveness.

Member State representatives discuss future of enterprise

Ministers and representatives from the Member States discussed the European Commission's Green Paper on entrepreneurship and called upon the Commission to draft an SME action plan during a public debate at the Competitiveness Council on 3 March. Discussing a range of issues from business failure to better regulation, their comments gave an indication of the latest thinking on enterprise around the capitals of Europe.

A one stop shop for life sciences, genomics and health in FP6

Life science, genomics and biotechnology for health researchers will find it easier to prepare their project proposals for the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) following this week's launch of a CORDIS web service dedicated to these areas. From fundamental genomics to cancer research, specialists can learn about funding opportunities in their areas of interest, access key documents, search for partners and find the contact details of FP6 advisors - both in the European Commission and in their home country.

Europeans' technological performance is second best

The United States is still the most technologically advanced nation in the world, although the citizens and businesses of Sweden, Germany and the UK are highly IT literate, according to a new report. However, even these high performers of Europe are no match for the US in key areas of the e-Economy.

Excellence in R&D; and innovation management

A conference on 'excellence in management in R&D [research and development] and testing organisations' is to take place in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 20 and 21 March. Senior politicians and officials from the European Commission and the Dutch government will be among those discussing best practice for R&D and innovation management.

Brussels event to discuss intellectual property rights under FP6

The IPR (intellectual property rights) Helpdesk will hold a training seminar on 'intellectual property and the Sixth Framework Programme [FP6]' in Brussels on 27 March. Organised in collaboration with the European Patent Office, CORDIS and Euractiv.com, the seminar will provide FP6 participants with an opportunity to debate IPR issues with intellectual property specialists and policy makers.

FP6 call for proposals: SMEs to boost Europe's 'economic and technological intelligence'

The European Commission has published a call for proposals under FP6 relating to the role of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in stepping up Europe's 'economic and technological intelligence'. One of three new FP6 calls published this week, the call relates to activities such as the formation of groupings of SMEs that have similar innovation needs. We feature a CORDIS News introduction to the call, while the call text, supporting documents and contact details of potential partners are available by clicking below.

Co-operation office links Chinese and European research

The China-EU science and technology cooperation office (CECO) is a non-profit organisation which facilitates the participation of Chinese research institutes and companies in the EU's Sixth Framework Programme. Not only does it help Chinese organisations to find European partners, it also informs European researchers of funding opportunities open to them under the Chinese government's international research programmes.

EU project to deliver hydrogen fuel pumps at petrol stations

One of the main obstacles facing the widespread introduction of hydrogen powered cars is the question of how to provide a ready supply of hydrogen for their fuel cells. EU funding has been awarded to a team of researchers who intend to develop a reactor sophisticated enough to produce hydrogen and small enough to be placed in the forecourt of petrol stations. We feature a CORDIS News introduction to this project, while further information and contact details are available by clicking below.

Rebuilding indoor air quality standards

Following some cases where worker productivity and health were found to be adversely affected by work environment, many research initiatives have been carried out on the question of indoor air quality. The latest research in this area looks at how the refurbishment of buildings can affect air quality. This work has resulted in a database of pollutants and a number of methods for the control of these pollutants, including ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Khan's gene-spread reaches record levels

'The greatest pleasure is to vanquish one's enemies, rob them of their wealth, ride their horses and... clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.' Thus spoke Genghis Khan, vicious conquerer, leader of the Mongols and, according to research revealed this week, ancestor of more than 16 million men living in the world today.