The French government has announced the launch of a £161-million
biotechnology programme called Bioavenir, which aims to improve French competitiveness
in the life sciences.
The five-year programme is an initiative by the state-owned chemicals
firm Rhone-Poulenc, which is to invest £100 million. The remaining
£61 million will come from the government, which estimates that there
could be a £30-billion world market for new products emerging from
Bioavenir by 1995.
