<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>'OPEN-SOURCE' INITIATIVE TO FACILITATE BIOTECH
RESEARCH<BR><BR>Biologists launched an 'open-source' initiative last week which
aims to make<BR>research tools, information and patented technologies more
readily available<BR>to scientists, in particular in developing countries.
Founded by the<BR>Australia-based Center for the Application for Molecular
Biology to<BR>International Agriculture (CAMBIA), the Biological Innovation for
Open<BR>Society (BIOS) initiative describes itself as "an effort to develop
new<BR>innovation systems for market failures and for neglected
priorities".<BR>Richard Jefferson, CAMBIA's Chairman and leader of the
initiative, hopes<BR>that BIOS can create an "open source movement" in
biotechnology, similar to<BR>the one that has developed in the computer software
industry, and establish<BR>an international community of interested researchers.
BIOS' first priority<BR>will be to create a portfolio of research tools that can
be used for free,<BR>and to construct an easy-to-use database of patent
information. BIOS will<BR>include information on all forms of biological
innovations, including<BR>agricultural and animal-breeding tools, genetic
resources, medical<BR>treatments and environmental remedies. Open-access
licenses will be granted<BR>for free under the condition that the user grants
BIOS the rights to any<BR>improvements made. Licensees can contribute a
non-compulsory annual fee to<BR>BIOS, proportional to their capabilities.
Sponsors and "non-compulsory"<BR>subscription fees are expected to cover all
costs. Though BIOS expects some<BR>resistance from biotechnology companies, some
have expressed their support<BR>for the initiative. "We have had
discussions with BIOS and these will<BR>continue," says Ganesh Kishore,
Vice-President of Technology at DuPont. "I<BR>don't view BIOS as a threat:
it will be complementary. We need many<BR>innovations to build all the
products that we want to build."<BR><BR>For further information, see <A
href="http://www.bios.net/home">http://www.bios.net/home</A>.<BR><BR>"Biologists
Launch 'Open-Source Movement'," NATURE, 30 September 2004; "Open<BR>Source Bt,"
ELLINGHUYSEN, 4 October 2004; "BIOS to Break Biology's Tech<BR>Barrier,"
AUSTRALIA IT, 6 October 2004.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>