Ecobreves – URUGUAY: A Push for Biotech

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MONTEVIDEO, Oct 14 2006 (IPS) - The Pasteur Institute of Montevideo, which will officially open its doors Dec. 8, is trying to give a boost to biotechnology in the countries of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) and Chile, says executive director Guillermo Dighiero. Beginning Nov. 13, proposals will be accepted for the pharmaceutical area, “both medical and veterinary, to develop new diagnostic procedures and new medicines based on recombinant technology,” in this case using the study of the human genome as the starting point, Dighiero told Tierramérica.

This non-profit foundation, which has already invested 6.4 million dollars, was created by law in 2004, through an agreement amongst the French and Uruguayan governments and the Paris-based institute, and built with funds reconverted from Uruguay's debt to France.