Ecu 2.35 million in EU support to "artificial dog's nose" for mine detection

ECU 2.35 million in EU support to "artificial dog's nose" for mine detection The European Commission supports the "artificial dog's nose" with @ 2.35 million. The mine detector is being developed by Swedish company Biosensor Applications. Out of the total of @ 2.35 million, Biosensor Applications will receive @ 1.4 million, and @ 0.9 million will be disbursed to subcontractors and the organizations that are to test the system. The EU financial support will be disbursed over a period of three years. "We hope and believe that the artificial dog´s nose will revolutionize mine detection work all over the world", says Mr. Conny Åkerblom, a mine detection expert at the Swedish Rescue Services Agency. This Swedish government agency will conduct the tests of the system, together with Norwegian NGO Norwegian People's Aid. Apart from the EU support to Biosensor Applications' TNT detector for mine clearance, the EU has also decided to support the company's development of a sensor able to detect RDX and PETN, explosives found in mines and also used in terrorist attacks. "The EU financial support implies that the company can speed up the development of an explosives detector to prevent terrorist attacks at airports and prominent buildings", says Mr. Carl Lundberg, CEO of Biosensor Applications. Out of 48 support applications to the EU mine detection programme, the "artificial dog's nose" was the only one rated "very good" regarding the two most important criteria: the innovative and scientific quality of the system and its potential to become commercially profitable. The EU evaluators concluded that "(the) idea and realisation of antigen based TNT-sensor (is) excellent". In October 2000, a first prototype of the artificial dog's nose, a detector designed for mine detection, was handed over by Biosensor Applications to the Swedish Rescue Services Agency. For further information, please contact: Carl Lundberg, CEO Biosensor Applications Phone: +46 708 36 31 83, E-mail: lundberg@bioapp.se, Biosensor Applications is the developer of a unique Biosensor system, often called the artificial dog´s nose. The system consists of two units: a sample collector and an analytical platform which detects the target molecules from the sample. Initially, the Company is focusing on explosives and the major illegal narcotics but, in principle, the technology can detect almost every known chemical substance. Biosensor Applications is owned by, among others, two of the largest Swedish trade unions, the Swedish Red Cross and the Swedish Church. The company has 13 employees and its head office in Stockholm. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/18/20010118BIT00590/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/18/20010118BIT00590/bit0002.pdf