Category: Uncategorized

A CLEAN BROOM TO WIPE OUT BS" "" "We could benefit from some radical clean thinking in Barcelona, to bust out of the straight-jacket of old ways of thinking that have held this great city back for too long. London and the US offer great models. View in LinkedIn

TRICKLE DOWN. (2012). "only 10% of the proposed $6.4 billion is dedicated exclusively to civilian biodefense. The other 90% is for projects with both biodefense and non-biodefense implications... of the $60 billion spent on biodefense in the past decade, only about $12 billion went for programs solely concerned with biodefense." http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/bioterrorism-still-a-threat-to-the-united-states View in LinkedIn

LONDON'S BUZZ IS RECENT" "" "Tech city is proof that things can change fast when the infrastructure is right. Barcelona has the hospitals, science parks, entrepreneurs, and creativity. It too could reinvent itself and transform into the GoTo place for entrepreneurs. View in LinkedIn

BW PREPAREDNESS 2010: GRADE F. "The administration’s failure to “enhance the nation’s capabilities for rapid response to prevent biological attacks from inflicting mass casualties” merited a grade of “F”. Almost as bad was the “D+” given for continuing inadequate oversight of high-containment laboratories." http://lnkd.in/dFZkZK8 View in LinkedIn

TECH CITY'S STARTLING SIMPLICITY" "" "Tech City contracts, at least at accelerators are designed to be clean and simple, all inclusive and no hidden costs. We could learn from Clinton: "Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)". Catalan institutions need to smell the coffee and KISS. View in LinkedIn

FDA AGREES TO ANIMAL RULE FOR SOME VACCINES. "One challenge ... bioweapon threats is the absence of some of these disease agents in the natural world. Vaccine efficacy is more difficult to establish when natural exposure to a pathogen is impossible ... and when human challenge studies are not feasible. The FDA accepts animal testing for proof of efficacy in these cases." http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/biological-weapons-bioterrorism-and-vaccines View in LinkedIn

UK GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES" "" "The UK government has devised a number of schemes to attract, and retain, entrepreneurs who will drive their future economy. These include tax breaks, visa fast track, and others. Worth emulating. View in LinkedIn

BIODEFENSE R&D UPSIDE. Clearly, the military interest in counter bioterrorism research will pour cash into advancing vaccine and synthetic biology research, and unexpected results are inevitable. In a research funding climate of scarcity, this represents life blood to some labs. Ironically, and consistently, DARPA is leading the innovation curve on projects with a less than 10% chance if success. http://lnkd.in/dvUdaty View in LinkedIn

LONDON ACCELERATORS" "" "Some of the UK accelerators are quite impressively large, with hundreds of entrepreneurs working together, sharing lectures and activities. The critical mass gives a real buzz to the atmosphere. View in LinkedIn

SCALE OF LONDON ACCELERATORS" "" "Tech City Accelerators are a new phenomenon, starting about 2006. Now there are quite a number, housing hundreds of entrepreneurs, with a tangible energy and critical mass. Particularly impressive is the low cost, starting about €400 per month, and the scale, with some having hundreds of clients. View in LinkedIn