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We take a closer look at how the biotech industry is responding to Ukraine and why the EU might lift its ban on imports of GMO grains, plus recap yesterday’s House hearing on SBIR/STTR, all the way at the end. (902 words, 4 minutes, 30 seconds) |
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Biotech unites to aid Ukraine |
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Adding to the wide-scale human suffering, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is also causing a major disruption to both medical and agricultural supply chains in the region and worldwide. We look at the situation and how the biotech sector is responding. A looming supply chain crisis: The war in Ukraine is now considered the top risk to the stability of global supply chains, per Moody’s, with the impact on medical supply chains already underway and the impact on food and agriculture coming, as we reported Monday. Like many sectors, biotech is stepping up to assist the Ukrainian people, while navigating the effects of the conflict on the sector and supply chains, we explain in a new piece. Biotech companies have announced initiatives of support—here are just a handful: - Pfizer has given $1 million in humanitarian grant funding to the American Red Cross, International Medical Corps, and International Rescue Committee, to support their work in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
- Corteva Agriscience is matching employee donations dollar for dollar, up to $100,000 to GlobalGiving and $100,000 to the Global Foodbanking Network.
- Biogen launched a giving campaign through the Biogen Foundation, which is doubling Biogen employee donations. This giving campaign has already raised more than $350,000, to provide essential support.
Biotech firms call for action—that’s what biotech CEOs and investors said in reaction to Russia’s invasion in an open letter. Signatories include Nkarta Therapeutics President and CEO Paul Hastings, Global Blood Therapeutics President and CEO Dr. Ted Love, and Ovid Therapeutics President and CEO Dr. Jeremy Levin, among others. BIO, along with many state affiliates, joined the effort to collect corporate donations of medicines, medical supplies, and equipment—here’s the statement from BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath and how you can support the effort. Read the whole thing.
Catch up on our Ukraine coverage:
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EU considers lifting ban on GMO grains |
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The EU is considering “lifting a ban on imports of genetically modified grains from the U.S. and South America to help farmers struggling with supply disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine,” reports Bloomberg—an important step towards ensuring the security of our food systems now and in the future. The context: The war in Ukraine has the potential to disrupt the global food supply, as we reported Monday. Ukraine supplies 10% of the world’s wheat and 15% of corn; Ukraine and Russia combined supply around 30% of wheat and 80% of sunflower oil.
The response: Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas has proposed lifting the EU’s ban on genetically modified grains, which, like all GMOs, are subject to strict regulations. What they’re saying: “This is a warning call for us to think about having the capacity to provide food security to our 450 million citizens,” Minister Planas told Bloomberg. “We need the European Union to add flexibility to grain import rules.”
We’ve seen some progress in the EU. A recent European Commission study said gene editing could “have the potential to contribute to a more sustainable food system,” and help achieve the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy.
But risks remain: “Both the Farm to Fork strategy and the European Commission’s recent study on New Genomic Techniques point to the importance of innovation to achieving a more sustainable food system. However, significant risks remain as Europe’s regulatory processes are fundamentally prejudiced to agricultural biotechnology,” explained recent BIO comments.
The bottom line: The war has demonstrated the urgency of charting a path forward with the EU to enable science-based regulations for biotechnology tools and expand sustainable agricultural practices to achieve our shared climate goals. BIO is a member of the Sustainable Productivity Growth (SPG) Coalition, led by the USDA, to help drive these goals forward—read more. |
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President Biden’s Wednesday: President Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will meet with business leaders and bipartisan Governors to discuss the Bipartisan Innovation Act. This evening, he’ll deliver remarks at the Democratic Senators Issues Conference.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Congressional leaders reached a spending deal early this morning, reports the AP. The $1.5 trillion spending package includes $13.6 billion for Ukraine and European allies. The House hopes to pass the bill today; the Senate would have until midnight Friday, but the House is preparing a stopgap bill to move the deadline to March 15.
ICYMI: The House Small Business Committee held a hearing yesterday on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The authorizing legislation for these two key programs expires on September 30, and BIO continues to support their extension. The Committee heard testimony from John Williams, Director of Innovation and Technology in the Office of Investment and Innovation at the Small Business Administration. His testimony featured BIO member Rachel Haurwitz and Jennifer Doudna who co-founded Caribou Biosciences to commercialize pioneering biopharmaceutical research in 2011.
“SBIR funding was a part of their journey when the company received two Phase I awards, one from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2013,” said Williams.
SBIR and STTR directs federal R&D spending to small firms through a competitive process. In FY2020, these programs provided nearly $3.9 billion to innovative small firms; 11 federal agencies leveraged SBIR and STTR awards to back more than 4,000 small businesses and 7,200 projects.
As Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez noted, the continuation of these programs “is vital to holding our position as one of the most innovative countries in the world.”
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