BACKGROUND.
The Biofocus Foundation (BF) is a non-profit international organisation engaged in international technology assesment and transfer. It was launched some ten years ago at a seminar celebrating the 250 year anniversary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA).That seminar (”The Potential of Independent Initiatives”) initiated a series of studies on the socioeconomic impact of modern biology, and they eventually led BF to a focus on projects in the ”Biorefinery”-field.

In recent years the focus has shifted from assesment of a few innovations in biotechnology to studies related to problems of technology transfer. This led to annual ”Biopolicy”-seminars under the auspices of the engineering sciences division of KVA.The first seminar, in september 2000, had the title:”The Place of Value in a World of Change” (cf ”seminar” under www.biofocus.org).It emphasized the significance of values in the choice between some recycling technologies, and it recommended the launching of annual biopolicy-lectures or seminars. Consequently, in a 2001-seminar the management of laboratory clusters was discussed in the context of environmental engineering and stemcell research. The fact that transparancy was highlighted in the perspective of bioterrorism means that the participants will probably long remember the date of the seminar (September 11th).

The international character of the Biofocus Foundation means that both the focus and the”anchorage” of the organization will change. whenever a new Executive Director takes over.When professor Geoffrey Hamer in Dublin now will replace Dr.Carl-Göran Hedénin Stockholm, the experience gained from the Biorefinery-period will be combined with the recommendations from the upcoming seminar in the development of a new focus.