Welcome to Issue 4 of Biomateria Newsletter, devoted mainly to R&D items and market news of interest to biomaterials and medical devices. We mark the end of the second year of the European Biomaterials Network with publication of the EC’s Review of Network projects in materials science and technology (see News) and with publication of the EC’s guidelines for Framework Programme 5 in the Quality of Life and Sustainable & Competitive Growth key areas.

In this issue we briefly profile the five projects that have joined the EBN in the last call of Framework Programme 4. These cover very exciting aspects of biomaterials – including new tendons, new follicle-bearing skin, novel encapsulation and delivery methods for key pharmaceuticals, mouldable polymeric devices for minimal-access surgery and innovative membranes for bioartificial organs.

The Biomateria web-site (www.biomateria.com) will carry more information on existing projects, bringing them up to date for April 1999, and on completed projects with relevance to biomaterials. We will also be adding conference presentations on technical and commercial issues that should be considered even during the R&D stages of biomaterials development.

The EBN Co-ordinators, Mr Meredith Lloyd-Evans and Dr Julian Braybrook, are involved in more than assisting the EC in monitoring the projects in the Network. As well as publishing this Biomateria newsletter and the Biomateria web-site, we have constructed and chaired seminars on technical and industry issues, most recently in March 1999 on technology assessment, design management, and information for business growth. We are planning to contribute to forthcoming conferences including those of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine and the European Society of Biomaterials. We will also be organising the 1999 EBN Co-ordinators’ Workshop. For Spring 2000, a two-day programme is in the process of being constructed, to focus on the achievements of the EBN participants over the previous 3 years and to set the stage for further activities within FP5. We hope there will be an element of one-to-one commercialisation discussions and project construction round tables involved in this.

Although the stimulus for this network is funding provided by the European Commission to 19 multi-site projects involved in biomaterials, the impact of this work is wider. Successful commercialisation of developments has already been achieved and the benefits of the work are therefore being returned not only to the citizens of EU Member States but, by appropriate commercial agreements, to people outside the EU. Participants in the EBN have contributed to numerous conferences within and outside the EU, thus spreading the word about the cutting-edge work that is underway. New alliances have been forged and old links refreshed between researchers in EU Member States and other eligible countries. We look forward to the continuation of this momentum

April 1999.