EU Projects
at Avir Green Hills Biotechnology 
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology is the lead participant and coordinator of four EU projects run under the Sixth Framework Program.
At the Lisbon summit in 2000, EU governments called for
a better use of European research efforts through the creation of an internal
market for science and technology - a 'European Research Area' (ERA).
The Sixth Framework Program (FP6) is the financial instrument to help
make the ERA a reality. FP6 covers Community activities in the field of
research, technological development and demonstration for the period 2002
to 2006. Since 2007, FP7 is implemented. Projects have to be transnational:
only consortia of partners from different member and associated countries
can apply. Proposals are evaluated and selected for funding by the European
Commission with the help of independent external experts (peer reviews).
Evaluation and selection of proposals is a highly competitive process:
fewer than 20 percent of all proposals are funded. Hence, selected projects
represent the top proposals of European research. In cooperation with
highly renowned research partners, Avir Green Hills Biotechnology obtained funding for four different
EU projects. Avir Green Hills Biotechnology is the lead participant and coordinator for
- FLUVACC - an Integrated Project,
research for vaccines against pandemic influenza
- SARS/FLU VACCINE - a STREP project, research for vaccine development
- H5 VACCINE - A STREP project, development
of a pandemic vaccine to combat avian influenza
- CHIMERIC VACCINES - a CRAFT project aiming to develop novel vaccines
Influenza Research
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology Research Development and Trading GmbH (Avir Green Hills Biotechnology) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Vienna. Avir Green Hills Biotechnology's core competence is its extensive know-how in virology, in particular in the field of influenza viruses. The following four EU projects are led by Avir Green Hills Biotechnology:
FLUVACC:
PRIORITY LSH 2004-1.2.2-1
Post-genomic approaches to a human pandemic influenza vaccine
Project acronym: FLUVACC
Project full title: Live attenuated replication-defective influenza vaccine
Proposal/Contract no.: 518281
Partners involved: 10
Project start date: 1 September 2005
Project duration: 60 months
Research partners for FLUVACC:
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology (A), BIA Separations (Slo), Biotest (CZ), GPC
Biotech AG (D), Weikom & Network (A), Medical University Vienna (A),
Robert Koch Institute (D), Institute of Influenza (Rus), Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (Rus), Vichem Chemie Research LTD (HU).
PRIORITY LSH 2003-1.2.5-6
Topic: The development of new biosafe virus vectors for vaccine production
to combat emerging or major viral enteric and respiratory infectious diseases.
Project acronym: SARS/FLU
VACCINE
Project full title: Development of a combined influenza/SARS vaccine
Proposal/Contract no.: 512054
Partners involved: 6
Project start date: 1 December 2005
Project duration: 36 months
Research partners for SARS/FLU
VACCINE:
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology (A), Emergentec (A), BIA Separations (Slo),
Biotest (CZ), Medical University Vienna (A), Goethe University Frankfurt
(D).
H5 VACCINE
PRIORITY FP6-2005-SSP-5B-Influenza
Topic: Clinical research on the immunogenicity of pandemic influenza vaccines
Project acronym: IntranasalH5Vaccine
Project full title: Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of intranasal
delNS1 (H5N1)
Proposal/Contract no.: 044512
Partners involved: 6
Project start date: 1 January 2007
Project duration: 36 months
Research partners for H5
VACCINE:
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology (A), Biotest (CZ), Medical University Vienna
(A), Goethe University Frankfurt (D), Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic
Chemistry (Rus), Retroscreen Virology Ltd (UK).
PRIORITY COOP-CT-2004
Horizontal Research Activities involving SMEs Co-operative Research
Project acronym: CHIMERIC
VACCINES
Project full title: Development of influenza delNS1 virus as a vector
for foreign antigens
Proposal/Contract no.: 512864
Partners involved: 7
Project start date: 1 November 2004
Project duration: 30months
Research partners for CHIMERIC
VACCINES:
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology (A), Emergentec (A), BIA Separations (Slo),
Biotest (CZ), Medical University Vienna (A), Goethe University Frankfurt
(D), Institute of Influenza (Rus).
In FP6 and FP7, an 'instrument' refers to a politically
and legally authorized means of Community financial intervention. The
types of instruments to be used are specified in the Work Program of each
activity, and each specific call for proposals states clearly what instruments
are available under that call. AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology developed
and gained specific know-how to join and benefit from these European Research
programs. Actually, Avir Green Hills Biotechnology is operating three
different types of EU-funded projects: an Integrated Project (IP), two STREP
projects, and a CRAFT project. Other instruments include Networks of Excellence,
'Article 169', Coordination Actions and Specific Support Actions.
Integrated Projects (IP)
were designed to generate the knowledge required to implement the priority
thematic areas of FP6 by combining a critical mass of activities (research,
demonstration, training, innovation, management) with resources (staff,
skills, competences, finances, infrastructure, equipment, etc.). The main
purpose of Integrated Projects is to support objective-driven research
to generate new knowledge. Because IP mobilize the critical mass of expertise
needed to achieve ambitious objectives, they are also expected to have
a structuring effect on the fabric of European research. The EU provides
'grants to the budget', which are paid as a contribution to the costs
incurred. There must be a minimum of three participants from three different
EU Member States; however, in practice, the number of partners in an IP
tends to be much higher. Community support is typically provided for three
to five years, but may also be granted for a longer duration if necessary.
More than 300 Austrian research partners are involved in such projects.
About a dozen IP are led by Austrian organizations or enterprises. Austrian
IP coordinators include the Johanneum Research GmbH, the Technical University
Graz, ARC Seibersdorf Research GmbH, the Medical University of Vienna,
and some Austrian internationals. Only two IP are led by Austrian SMEs.
Specific Targeted Research Projects (STREP)
substitute the 'shared-cost research projects' of earlier Framework Programs.
They aim at improving existing or developing new products, processes or
services or contributing to meet the needs of society or Community policies.
Typically, the duration of a STREP will be two to three years. The number
of participants can not be less than three independent legal entities
established in three different Member States or Associated States, of
which at least two must be Member States or Associated Candidate States.
Cooperative research projects (CRAFT)
are a bottom-up scheme to support the collaboration between SMEs and RTD
performers. The SMEs must be legal entities with less than 250 employees,
and with either an annual turnover less than € 50 million or an annual
balance sheet below € 43 million. CRAFT brings together smaller players
from different countries with a specific research objective or need and
then assigns a significant part of the work required to RTD performers
(e.g. research centers, universities, etc.). Funding for RTD performers
is 100%, ownership of rights in the results remains exclusively with the
SMEs. The CRAFT scheme seeks to help SMEs of varying size and scale working
in traditional sectors or in the high-tech area to create products and
services, solve technological problems or improve technical processes.
Avir Green Hills Biotechnology's Partners in EU Projects
Lead Participant and Coordinator:
AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology
AG (SME)
1180 Vienna, Austria
www.greenhillsbiotech.com
Avir Green Hills Biotechnology is a biopharmaceutical company based in
Vienna. Avir Green Hills Biotechnology's core competence is its extensive
know-how in virology, in particular in the field of influenza viruses.
Scientific Coordinator:
Dr. Thomas Muster
Project Manager: Dr. Joachim Seipelt,
Karla Valdés Rodríguez
Emergentec biodevelopment
GmbH (SME)
1010 Vienna, Austria
www.emergentec.com/
The focus of Emergentec's core technologies is on identifying disease-associated proteins by combining genomics/proteomics and biocomputing. Identified target proteins are developed into novel, immuno-based diagnostics and therapies including vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Bernd Mayer
GPC Biotech AG (SME)
Martinsried/Munich, Germany
www.gpc-biotech.com
GPC Biotech AG is a biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing
new anticancer drugs. GPC Biotech AG is headquartered in Martinsried/Munich
(Germany). The Company's wholly owned U.S. subsidiary has sites in Waltham,
Massachusetts and Princeton, New Jersey. GPC Biotech's lead drug candidate,
Satraplatin, is currently in a fully enrolled phase III clinical trial.
GPC Biotech acquired substantially all of Axxima's assets in the field
of kinase inhibitors to develop and commercialize novel, target-specific
small molecule drugs.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Bert Klebl
Vichem Chemie (SME)
Budapest, Hungary
www.vichem.hu/
Project Team Leader: Prof. György
Keri
BIA Separations (SME)
1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
www.biaseparations.com
BIA Separations d.o.o., located in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is the only worldwide manufacturer of short monolithic columns optimized to meet the research and production needs of the biotechnology industry. Based on more than ten years of experience, BIA Separations has developed a wide range of Convective Interaction Media (CIM ®) for the separation of biomolecules, in particular those optimized for the industrial purification of large proteins, pDNA and viral particles.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Aleš Štrancar
BioTest Ltd (SME)
281 25 Konárovice, Czech Republic
www.biotest.cz
BioTest is a leading institute in the Czech Republic, specializing in the safety assessment of pharmaceuticals. BioTest can carry out studies according to a number of guidelines (OECD, EU, FDA and other regulatory authorities) in full compliance with the OECD principle of GLP. Based on its expertise, Biotest is a strong strategic partner in the characterization of proposed vaccines, safety experiments and toxicity studies.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Martin Slais
Goethe University Frankfurt
Institute of Medical Virology, Clinics of J. W. Goethe-University
60596 Frankfurt, Germany
www.kgu.de/zhyg/virologie/virologie.html
In the competitive field of worldwide SARS research, the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Cinatl (GUF) at the Institute of Medical Virology (Director: Prof. Dr. Doerr) was one of the first institutions that succeeded in isolating and cultivating the causative SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Apart from technological and scientific expertise in virology and immunology, GUF clearly is a pioneer in SARS research. This is documented by several publications in highly prestigious scientific journals and numerous invitations to scientific meetings in the field.
Project Team Leader: Prof. Jindrich Cinatl
Institute of Influenza
Russian Academy of Medical Sciences
St. Petersburg 197376, Russian Federation
The Institute of Influenza of the Russian Academy of Medical
Sciences is involved in joint international projects for advancing the
development of synthetic and live anti-influenza vaccines, new promising
anti-viral drugs and highly-sensitive respiratory virus diagnostics.
The Institute of the Scientific Research of Influenza is lead by Prof.
Oleg I. Kiselev and
is clearly one of the most specialized facilities in influenza research
in the world. Based on its long expertise in influenza research and, above
all, in conducting clinical studies, the Institute of Influenza is the
logical choice as a partner in Avir Green Hills Biotechnology's EU projects.
Project Team Leader: Prof. Oleg I. Kiselev
Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry
Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry,
117997 Moscow, Russian Federation
/carbohyd.siobc.ras.ru/
Project Team Leader: Nicolai Bovin
MUV - Medical University
Vienna
Department
of Clinical Pharmacology
1090 Vienna, Austria
www.meduniwien.ac.at/klpharm/
Clinical Pharmacology Vienna was established in 1992 as an independent department within the Medical University Vienna. It is based in one of Europe's largest medical centers, namely the newly constructed 2,200-bed Vienna General Hospital. Its strength are complex labor-, equipment- and time-intensive studies (Phase I-III) exceeding the simple requirements for bioequivalence or standard tolerability testing. The department is experienced in performing Phase II/III influenza vaccination trials sponsored by renowned pharmaceutical companies.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Volker Wacheck
Department of Surgery
1090 Vienna, Austria
www.meduniwien.ac.at
Dr. Bergmann's research group at the Department of Surgery of the University
of Vienna Medical School consists of 6 employees, i.e. 3 post-doctoral
researchers and 3 technicians. The focus of their work is on the development
of genetically modified influenza A viruses, which can be used for clinical
purposes, and on the immunological characterization of these viruses.
Project Team Leader: Prof. Dr. Michael Bergmann
Department of Medical Biochemistry
1030 Vienna, Austria
www.mfpl.ac.at
The Department of Medical Biochemistry is an institute of the Medical
University Vienna, located in the Campus Vienna Biocenter. Together with
life-science institutions of the University of Vienna, the department
fused into a newly founded organizational structure, namely the Max F.
Perutz Laboratories (MFPL). Created to pool the expertise of more than
50 research groups in molecular biology (across seven thematic fields),
the MFPL represent a new and innovative approach to strengthening research
and training at the university.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Joachim Seipelt
Institute of Virology
1090 Vienna, Austria
www.virologie.meduniwien.ac.at/
The Institute of Virology is based on its internationally renowned activities
in basic and applied research, virus diagnostics and teaching - a leading
institution in the field.
Research is focussed on specific aspects of the molecular biology and
immunology of flaviviruses, (such as tick-borne encephalitis, West Nile,
Japanese encephalitis, and the dengue viruses), hepatitis C, and respiratory
viruses. The institute’s diagnostic division is certified to ISO
9001 standard and provides a service to a number of customers outside
the university, including hospitals, private laboratories and practitioners
as well as industrial partners.
Importantly, the institute also collects data on the epidemiology of infections
caused by selected viruses in Austria, such as tick-borne encephalitis,
influenza, measles and hanta-viruses. It is the national WHO reference
laboratory for influenza and has established systems for the systematic
analysis and characterization of virus strains circulating during epidemics.
In addition to research, academic teaching also forms an important part
of the institute’s activities for medical students. As a consequence
of the inter-disciplinary nature of the science of virology, the institute’s
teaching activities also include the supervision of diploma and Ph.D.
theses of students of natural sciences such as microbiology, genetics,
molecular biology or biochemistry.
Project Team Leaders: Prof. Dr. Theresia Popow-Kraupp and Prof. Dr. Franz Xaver Heinz
Robert Koch Institute
13353 Berlin, Germany
www.rki.de
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is a central federal institution in Germany responsible for disease control and prevention. This makes it an important reference institution for both applied and response-oriented research as well as for the public health sector. The laboratory of Dr. Thorsten Wolff at RKI focuses on fundamental aspects of influenza virus infections including viral replication and the response of the host cell to the invading pathogen with the aim of exploring the molecular basis for an efficient viral multiplication.
Project Team Leader: Dr. Thorsten Wolff
Weikom & Network - Agency for Communication
1090 Vienna, Austria
www.weikom.at
Weikom & Network - Agency for Communication, is a specialist for international and interdisciplinary communication. The Agency is managed by Maria Weidinger-Moser, author of the book Communcation goes Europe, published by Studienverlag Innsbruck in 2005. Weikom & Network collaborates with independent network partners in keeping with the requirements of the respective project. This approach guarantees a perfect blend of expertise and knowledge, e. g. on European affairs, national and international media relations, combined with many years of experience in PR work for pharmaceutical companies. Weikom & Network coordinates all of Avir Green Hills Biotechnology's public-relation and dissemination activities.
Project Team Leader: Mag. (FH) Maria Weidinger-Moser, MAS