Demonstration projects in the life sciences programmes
The European Commission, DG XII, has published a second volume of information on demonstration projects under the Life Sciences programmes of the Fourth RTD Framework Programme. The information contained within the publication corresponds to projects selected under the second and third calls for proposals under three specific RTD programmes: Agriculture and Fisheries (FAIR), Biotechnology (BIOTECH), and Biomedicine and Health (BIOMED). In order to fill the gap between research activities and commercial exploitation, the concept of demonstration projects was introduced in these programmes as a new tool to prove the technical viability of new research results. This aimed to foster the adoption of newly developed technologies into real life practices. Information on a total of 17 projects is contained in the volume which includes a summary of the current state of knowledge, a description of the demonstration objectives of the project, a brief outline of the work content and the role of each of the partners in the project. A brief indication of the exploitation plans and the identification and interaction with the target groups for the extended audiences is also included. These audiences are created and developed within each demonstration project and are composed of parties with a potential interest in the results of the research. Demonstration projects covered in the publication, include: - Biocidal medical gloves; - Molecular marker systems for variety testing; - Novel fatty acid sugar esters for food and cosmetics; - Common access to biotechnological resources and information.