An international annual survey has found that the United States is expected to increase its lead in biotechnology. UK law firm Marks & Clerk polled 365 executives in the drug, biotechnology, higher-education and venture-capital sectors. President Barack Obama's initiatives will boost the US position as a centre for the industry, said 85%. This threatens the role of Europe, despite problems in US biotech (see Nature 459, 467; 2009). Co-author Paul Chapman, a partner in the firm, says the United States is showing new support for regenerative medicine and potential acceptance of stem-cell research. “Europe and the UK cannot afford to watch from the sidelines,” he says in the report.