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«Tools of Science», the European gateway that provides innovation support services is created

By 15 de September de 2011November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 15.09.2011

«Tools of Science», the European gateway that provides innovation support services is created

«Tools of Science», the first European gateway that offers biotech companies an online database of the best core facilities and specialist service companies from the major bioregions of Europe, as well as funding opportunities available at national and international scale for their R & D projects, was launched today. The gateway has been developed as part of the «ABCEurope» project (Advanced Biotech Cluster Platforms for Europe) – promoted by the European Council of Bioregions (CEBR) of which the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) is a full member– with the aim to create a network comprising 13 European bioregions—key drivers in life sciences— to provide more efficient support services offered to SMEs in the biotechnology area.


«Tools of Science» enables SMEs to identify the most suitable partners or providers of scientific and technological services. It is an innovative tool that provides initially about 200 entries and that will progressively grow larger as more service providers and bioregions are added. You can browse within the database using keywords or categories such as region, stage of development or specific field of science. In the portal you can also find guidelines and templates to share facilities, financing instruments, templates for interregional cooperation, information and assessment on various aspects of research project management and opportunities to find partners for research.

According to Jesús Purroy, scientific director of the Barcelona Science Park, « Achieving goals in the development of new technologies often depends on finding appropriate service providers that meet the needs of SMEs in the biotechnology sector, as these are very specific and highly specialized needs”.

«We knew that together we could provide excellent services by combining our efforts and have discovered that the result has been very positive”, says Claire Skentelbery, coordinator and secretary general of the European Biotechnology Network (EBN).

ABCEurope was created with the purpose of implementing various intervention programmes for the creation of a European Mega-Cluster of Excellence that enhances the impact of biotechnology in Europe. The project is funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme with a budget of 3.5 million Euros and a duration of three years (2009-2012). Its development will be accessible through the portal of Europa Innova, an initiative of the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission which aims to become the laboratory for the creation of new tools to support innovation.

The Barcelona Science Park works in several areas in which the Comprehensive Action Plan of the Project has been structured, and that are especially focused on internalization and support services for innovative SMEs, the establishment of partnership agreements cooperation among the European clusters and their companies, and the promotion of joint research capacity.

In addition to the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) –the only Spanish partner of the project– other organisations that participate in the «ABCEurope» include: the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, as coordinator, and 12 of the most active clusters of bioregions of Europe: One Nucleus, London-Cambridge (United Kingdom), Heidelberg Technology Park, Heidelberg (Germany), INNOVA, Debrecen (Hungary), Medici, Paris (France); Matimop, Tel Aviv (Israel); BioValley Alsace, Alsace (France), Bioindustry Park Silvano Fumero – bioPmed Innovation Cluster, Turin (Italy); BioWin, Wallonia (Belgium); Medicon Valley Alliance, Medicon Valley (Denmark-Sweden), BioM, Munich (Germany), Stockholm Science City, Stockholm (Sweden).