Life Science in Iceland (2005)

Documento de 2005 publicado por Invest in Iceland Agency sobre la situación de las Ciencias de la Vida en Islandia. Trata temas como los recursos naturales y humanos, la energía, la genómica, la naturaleza en condiciones extremas, el clima y el medioambiente, la sanidad, la biomedicina, las infraestructuras e instituciones de educación y de investigación, e incluso el marco legal que afecta a algunos temas en el ámbito científico.

This report is compiled and written by the Invest in Iceland Agency. The sources are official data and reports, information supplied by individual companies and corporate websites. Some of the text is Published by courtesy of Reykjavik Resources, the City of Reykjavik investment agency.

SUMMARY:

• A population with all three sets of data: genetic, medical and genealogical
• 70-90% volunteer participation in research projects
• Unique research databases and bio-banks containing medical and pathological records
• Leading companies in the field of generic drug production and medical technology such as diagnostics and prosthetics
• Advanced research infrastructure and a relatively large number of highly qualified specialists
• Excellent access to high-throughput laboratories
• Environment and climate enable pesticide-free agriculture and horticulture with ideal, automatic in-field containment of many transgenic plants
• Geothermal areas which foster an amazing biodiversity, including unique thermophile bacteria
• Europeʼs most competitive economy and #4 globally according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005
• Positive business environment with minimum red tape, only 18% corporate income tax and a simple and efficient tax system
• Ideal location between North America and Europe, linking two of the worldʼs strongest markets and research communities
• As a founding member of European Economic Area, Iceland is part of the single European market ensuring tariff-free access for most products
• Companies, research institutions and universities have access to European Union R&D research programmes and are eligible for EU funding