Sylvean Biotech represents SA in international panel discussion

Anton Jordaan, Sylvean Biotech Director

At the recently held 2007 BioSquare and BioVision Conferences in France, Sylvean Biotech Director, Anton Jordaan, represented the South African Biotechnology industry in a panel discussion on European-South African cooperation in FP7. The current Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development was set up by the European Union (EU).

In his presentation, Jordaan suggested that in partnering on FP7 projects, Europe should see South African Biotech companies as valuable conceptual contributors rather than merely implementation partners. He emphasised the need for European players, as part of the EU evaluation process of selecting SME partners, to look beyond the standard benchmarks of infrastructure or size, and take into account the background against which a potential partner company has been built. This need flows from the significant disparity in levels of SME support that exist between the European and South African Biotech industries.

"In South Africa, there is a relative lack of start-up funding available for Biotech entrepreneurs. European partners need to take into account that the South African SME may need to use FP7 funding as leverage or security to obtain the extra funding for filling their infrastructure and other gaps", says Jordaan.

A number of South African Biotech SME representatives and industry players accompanied Jordaan on his visit to France. As part of the trip, they visited some of the top French Biotech Incubators. "We were amazed at the level of support given to the industry over there, especially to SMEs", says Jordaan. According to him, Biotech entrepreneurs in those incubators are given immediate pre-seed funding, purely on the basis of their concepts, to keep them going while they finalise their business plans.

He points out that until a few years ago France was not very highly ranked or competitive in the European Biotech stakes, but an initiative by the French Biotech industry resulted in a complete turnaround. "They implemented major changes in governmental policy and within approximately three years managed to escalate the industry to where they are today - alongside the UK - leading Europe in the Biotech field", explains Jordaan.

Among the policy changes that France adopted are attractive tax incentives granted to Biotech SMEs and investors in Biotech research. "There is a lot that South Africa can learn from the French example, and these are lessons that we can use to launch ourselves into a brand new Biotech echelon", says Jordaan.

Plans are currently underway to present a proposal to the Department of Science and Technology based on the South African delegation's observations while in France and Sylvean Biotech will play an active role in formulating the recommendations put forward in that document.

For further details contact Sylvean Biotech at (012) 844 0270 or visit their web page profile.

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