R&D spending in Hungary increased 3.3% last year to HUF 245.7 billion ($1,483 million) to make up 0.97% of GDP, down from 1% in 2006. Private funding accounted for 44% of R&D expenditures, the government represented 44%, while foreign funding made up 11% and nonprofits represented 1%. Basic and applied research accounted for 16% of […]

The Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) has selected three public-private consortia to receive €100 million ($142.9 million) to advance the efficiency of pharmaceutical research. The Max Planck Drug Discovery & Development Center will commercialize research from the Max Planck Institutes and other research institutes. The Neuroallianz consortium consists of 12 partners, including Schwarz […]

This month, Sweden announced the largest R&D investment in its history. The Swedish government’s 2009 budget commits SEK 2.4 billion ($364 million) in 2009 to research funding. Such funding will reach SEK 5 billion in 2012. The funding includes the elimination of the value added tax on education. Medicine, technology and the climate will receive […]

New regulations designed to simplify pesticide residue laws in the EU took effect on September 1. The rules harmonize the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides and cover approximately 1,100 pesticides used both in the EU and elsewhere. MRLs are listed for 315 agricultural products, including processed products. In addition, a new publicly available database […]

The Chinese government will begin dispersing funds this October for two major research programs that were initially announced two years ago. Although a final figure has yet to be released, observers estimate that $880 million will be allocated for drug discovery research and $440 million will be available for infectious disease research. The projects will […]