ITC releases biotechnology report

BioMass Magazine July 2008
By Anna Austin
Web exclusive posted July 17, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. CST

The U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent, nonpartisan, fact-finding federal agency, released a report on July 15 which analyzed innovation and research effects on the development and future productivity of U.S. biotechnology. The 182-page research report, titled “Industrial Biotechnology: Development and Adoption by the U.S. Chemical and Biofuel Industries,” was completed in response to a November 2006 request from the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance in order to:

• Describe and compare government policies in the U.S. and key competitor countries throughout the world relating to the development of these products.
• Analyze the extent of business activity in these industries related to trends in production, financial performance, investment, research and development, as well as impediments to development and trade.
•Examine factors affecting the development of biobased products.
•Determine how the adoption of industrial biotechnology (IB) processing and products impact the productivity and competitiveness of firms in these industries.

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A copy of the report is available online at www.hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/332/pub4020.pdf.