Introduction
To the editor:
Your editorial "Who speaks for small biotech?" published in the July issue1 highlights the difficulty of engaging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe in such numbers that they are fully and individually represented. As secretary general of EuropaBio, I would like to stress that my association aims to represent in a balanced way the interests of all biotech companies, large or small; green, white or red. That said, I agree that more could be done for SMEs.
Despite the reticence of SMEs to engage more actively in EuropaBio, successful outcomes have been achieved on their behalf because of the commitment of our national associations, the SMEs that are direct members of EuropaBio and the EuropaBio board. For example, in addition to the successes that you mention in your editorial, we are also defending the interests of SMEs as service providers to the Innovative Medicines Initiative; and we are promoting European biotech SMEs and protecting their innovations so that they can get a return on investment from innovative tests aimed at reducing the need for animal testing, a sine qua non for progress in this field.
Europe's 1,800 SMEs dedicated to biotechnology are traditionally represented by national associations and by the Emerging Enterprise Council at EuropaBio. National associations hold one-third of the seats in the EuropaBio board and today they make up three out of the five executive committee members. National associations can offer their board seats to CEOs of their member firms, which many do. SMEs can also join EuropaBio at specially reduced SME rates.
As there is a minimum three-year time warp between discussions at European Union (EU, Brussels) level and the effect on SMEs at the national level, the active engagement of SMEs in directing the associations' campaign work, however fundamental, is not always easy. Therefore, I would ask, What can make SMEs more interested to actively represent their interests at EU level?
Here, Nature Biotechnology could help encourage SMEs to get actively engaged in joining the associations' efforts, certainly when the issues that matter—or will matter—to them are being debated in Brussels. A focus on advance representation in Brussels could avoid unfavorable EU legislation being voted in the European decision-making process; a focus on repairing the damage when the rules are already being transposed into national law is often too late. The engagement of SMEs in the Brussels' scene is proof in itself to EU decision makers that young innovative enterprises really exist, and need to be nurtured.
Biotech SMEs are a motor for innovation, for future prosperity, growth and jobs in Europe, but they must also become a motor for influencing EU policy and be ready to take direct action on EU lobbying activities.
