Advances in biocatalytic science are being driven at the industrial level by the societal need to supplement synthetically derived chemicals from petrochemically based raw materials, as their cost and scarcity increase. Simply put, renewable feedstocks will be increasingly called upon to provide energy, chemicals and polymers as we proceed through this century.

Like you, we have viewed biocatalysis as traditionally an economic challenge! While the U.S. does produce more than 1.5 BIL gallons of bioethanol/year, and we appreciate the societal need for converting cellulose and corn-based products into value-added chemicals, we also understand that it is not competitive with gasoline or diesel from petroleum. The fact remains that it is subsidized and politicized into being a fuel additive; whether or not it is a necessity can be debated. In this study, we want to move beyond that argument and address the societal, industrial and scientific need(s) of why and how this should be commercialized effectively.

Our study provides a technology roadmap on the risks and rewards of investing in biotechnology, from both a technical and commercial development viewpoint. TCG's technology benchmarking study will allow subscribers to reduce their investment risks by developing an understanding of the winners and losers in technology, timing, and development applications toward end-uses. It will compare state-of-the-art, competing technologies, examine stage-of-development and the resulting market growth rates in leading biotechnology applications.

Clients subscribing to this study will benefit by understanding:

• Where best to make investments in companies and players because of promising technologies.
  
  
• How the biotechnology industry is changing and responding to both opportunities and threats.
  
  
• The interfaces between the biotechnology, fine chemicals intermediates, and pharmaceutical industries, and how symbiotic relationships develop and partnerships are successful. Case studies on success/failure will be included.
  
  
• How academia contributes to the external innovation quotient, i.e. what academic developments should be on the radar screen and what should not.
  
  
• The IP legal issues that cause roadblocks, and/or IP value creation and threats for investments.

We expect that our clients will use this study as a tool to provide leading insights into the strategic R&D investments by the major players within the industry, and examine the business/technical development models that have been successful over the last decade.