Ingemar Pongratz

Information om forskning som Ingemar Pongratz följer

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Fenix Scientific AB Participates in Nutrigenomics Workshop in Camerino

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Ingemar PongratzIngemar Pongratz and Sofia Kuhn from Fenix Scientific AB / Pongratz Consulting were invited as speakers by the University of Camerino for the Summer School in Nutrigenomics. The workshop, which was organized by organized by Professor Rosita Gabbianelli from the University in Camerino took place in Spetember 2014 and attracted over 130 participants and students from all around the world.

The meeting was very interesting and filled with new information. During the meeting well known scientists from all over the world presented their findings and shared their knowledge with students and post-docs. In addition, Professor Gabbianelli organized a very popular Career Development session where well established Academic and Industrial Scientists told their story, their setbacks and how they overcame their problems, providing an insight on how their life and career looks like both now and in the future. During the meeting in Camerino, Ingemar Pongratz from Fenix Scientific AB Pongratz Consulting made an oral presentation and discussed the role of the AhR as a target protein for nutrients and xenobiotics and environmental pollutants

In the workshop, Sofia Kuhn presented the role that Communication plays for the scientific community and we discussed why communication and community engagement should be a very natural part of a research project. Sofia made a very interesting presentation about why scientists should share their scientific results and scientific knowledge with stakeholder and the general public and we could follow the process how the media looks at research and how scientists can work with the media.

We are very happy that Fenix Scientific AB was given this opportunity as participation in these kind of meetings is a cornerstone for further development. Of course we also discuss the Horizon 2020 programme and future collaborations as well

If you would like to get in touch, please send us an email or use the contact form.

 

Fenix Scientific AB Gets Tapped by ALMI

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Logo_Phoenix_ClearedFenix Scientific AB som driver de vetenskapliga projekt från Ingemar Pongratz drivs i samarbete mellan olika Europeiska och Internationella partners och experter och kan sägas bygger vidare på idén av att samarbete är något som främjar alla de inblandade parter.

Fenix Scientific AB söker nu aktivt finansiering dels EU finansiering men även privat risk kapital. Fenix Scientific AB har nyligen valts av ALMI att ingå i deras Globala Program B.I.G (Business Incubator for Growth).

ALMI vision är att utveckla idéer som befinner i ett tidigt stadium och som har potential att växa sig stora och framgångsrika. ALMI kan främja företagens tillväxt dels genom tillgång till kapital och även via rådgivning och kontakter som är viktiga och nödvändiga för att driva och utveckla företaget.

Vi är mycket glada att ingå och dra nytta av ALMIs kunskaper och expertis och vi ser verkligen fram emot att ta del av deras expertis för att omsätta det i konkreta åtgärder för att få Fenix Scientific AB att växa och utvecklas.

Engelsk översättning

The platform for the scientific projects that are derived from the work and knowledge of Ingemar Pongratz and his experience as a researcher have been grouped under the umbrella of Fenix Scientific AB. Together with partners organizations both in academia and in the business sector, we are currently looking and trying to identify different funding option, including private investors to push our scientific ideas to the next level and test the effects of our compounds in different settings.

We are very pleased also that Fenix Scientific AB has recently been selected by ALMI to join their B.IG Program. ALMI is a Sweden based Global Incubator and aims to support companies to grow and further develop their business potential. The B.I.G programme (Business Incubator for Growth) is run by ALMI and aims to support companies and business to further expand and develop ideas that have a potential to develop and become highly successful new business.

We at Fenix Scientific are very happy to have been chosen by ALMI as we see this as validation that our scientific vision has large potential for the future. We are very eager to enter into the programme in the fall of 2014 and start working with ALMI soon.

Painkillers Shown to Damage the Brain

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Paracetamol_Drug

New research has shown that paracetamol may affect early development.

New research conducted on mice at the University of Uppsala has provided evidence that the drug acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, can be harmful for early stage development.  You can find the details of the study in this recent article from SVT.se.

While the study used only animals as test subjects, researchers are confident that the findings of the study can be applied to humans.  During the study, 10 day old mice were split into two groups.  One group was given doses of the drug, while the other group was given doses of brine.  After two months, the paracetamol group was compared to their brine counterparts.

Those mice who were given heavy doses of the drug during their early stages of development were deficient in several ways.  They were unable to adapt to new environments with the same ease as the control group.  They also had trouble gaining new knowledge.

A similar study was conducted to test whether or not the drug affects all age groups in a similar way.  Researchers discovered that those mice who received paracetamol during development showed much more severe side effects than the group that received dosages during adulthood.

So what’s the conclusion?  Hans Sjogren, a clinical investigator on the study says that it is too difficult to make sweeping conclusions since the tests were only performed on mice, but his initial reaction is that the painkiller could be somewhat harmful to pregnant women.

He stopped short of saying pregnant women should avoid the drug altogether, but the pharmaceutical world will certainly be watching as more details on paracetamol’s effects become known.

Horizon 2020, Will All Join?

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European Union

The European Union is the financial backer for Horizon 2020.

The European Union funded Horizon 2020 calls be launched in a few days, the schedule from the European Union is that the first calls will be published Dec 11. At this point, proposals are being planned and there is activity all over Europe to submit proposal. Sweden should be no exception, we are there as well!

Really? Is that correct? Well not really.

When you look in Social Media, be it Google, LinkedIn or Facebook, the Swedish partners companies are really missing. I

n fact we (Pongratz Consulting) have spent a lot of resources to map and identify Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) who would really fit very well in Horizon 2020 EU funding scheme.

We have looked according to the EU priorities. We have looked for SME who are innovative, leaders in their fields. We have looked for IT companies with new interesting ideas, Research Intensive SME’s in Pharma and Life Sciences, who all are developing new, revolutionary products. New service providers…

These SME are successful and need capital to grow, to create jobs.  We thought they would jump at the opportunity.  We were very surprised with their answer.  No, we are not interested. Indeed we need capital but no thanks…

What is the problem?

The answers we received were actually rather surprising. No we are not really considering to join. There are some problems that makes us hesitate.

For example:

Time: The time to actually receive the funding is too long.

Well, this comment is sometimes correct but not always.

The standard evaluation process for EU-proposals is 3-4 months. The negotiation process takes and additional 4-6 months. This time should be shorter and the European Union has stated that will work in this direction. So here there is insight that there is a problem and a solution will hopefully be in place in Horizon 2020

The second problem is that SME’s are afraid of the administrative workload. And it is absolutely correct, that EU funded projects demand administration efforts, specially if you are coordinator of an EU funded proposal.

SME are not always willing to recruit and expand their administration staff, rather they are asking that administration should be outsourced as much as possible.

Will we see this? Time will tell if there is a change in this area.

 But the main problem is lack of information. Most SME (if not all) told us that the main problem is that they don’t know what it means to be part of a EU funded project. They don’t know what it means to be a partner, even a coordinator. And since they don’t know they don’t want to join. They were concerned that they are missing out on an opportunity but they don’t know what this means so they are out.

 This means that many SME in Sweden are going to miss the opportunity to obtain financing, to network with University and Academic partners and to entry into the European Market due to lack of information. These companies would grow, recruit and become European or International players but they lack the necessary information

 This is really a shame…

 

Horizon 2020, Varför?

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European_Comission

The European Commission.

Horizon 2020 kommer att offentliggöras den 11 Dec 2013, och ansökningar håller på och planeras överallt. I olike sociala media ser vi att olika organisationer letar efter samarbetspartners och att det är generellt mycket aktivitet. Så allt är som det skall?

Kanske inte. Vi har haft ett flertal möten med flera olika företag inom flera olika områden. Vi har lagt ner mycket möda för att identifiera företag som passar in i EU finansieringsprogram Horizon 2020.

Därför har vi alltså letat efter Små och Medelstora företag som är Innovativa, som vill växa och bli framgångsrika. Som i flera fall är världsledare inom sitt område. Vi har frågat om de behöver hjälp med ansökningar. För vi vet att det behövs kapital, det behövs nätverkande och samarbete.

Svaret är mycket förvånande. Nej, det behövs ingen hjälp, är svaret som vi har vi fått från de allra flesta. Vi är inte intresserade. Vi vill inte söka. Vi skulle behöva finansieringen men vi vill inte.

Vad är problemet?

I vissa fall anser företagen att tiden är ett problem. Att en ansökan kan misslyckas är alla medvetna om, men att det tar lång tid att få finansieringen. Men är det verkligen så? Inom EU får vi svaret att an ansökan är godkänd efter 3-4 månader, sen tar förhandlingar kanske 6 månader till. Jämför detta med andra utlysningar. Mer eller mindre samma tid.

I andra fall säger företag att de är rädda för administration. Och visst är det så EU projekt kräver viss administration. Problemet är att företag vill inte anställa administratörer, de vill fokusera på sin kärnverksamhet och lägga ut administrationen på andra organisationer. Här hoppas att vi at den förändringen som vi har sett inom EU kommissionen fortsätter och EU accepterar att delar av administrationen läggs ut på andra partners.

Men framför allt säger företag att de saknar information. Information om vad det innebär att vara med i ett EU projekt. De talar om för oss att deras investerare tvekar för att de inte vet vad det innebär att vara med i ett EU projekt. Och eftersom de inte vet så vill de inte vara med.

I slutändan betyder detta att Svenska företag går miste om värdefull finansiering, värdefulla samarbeten med Europeiska partners, och möjligheten att exponera sina idéer och produkter i en europeiskt marknad för att de inte vet om vad EU samarbete innebär. Dessa företag skulle kunna växa och bli än mer framgångsrika men det efterfrågar mer information, om fördelar och nackdelar. De vill veta om risker och eventuella fördelar.

Det är tråkigt att informationen inte når dessa företag i tid…

Swedish Entrepreneur Launches Hair Raising Start-Up

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Rapunzel of Sweden

Rapunzel of Sweden started as a dream but is now a successful company selling hair extensions online to countries around the world.

One of the reasons Rapunzel of Sweden is now selling women’s hair extensions online to over thirty countries is that founder, Ida Backlund refused to take no for an answer.  Swedish news site, Chef.se has the full story of her short, but amazing career so far.

Back in 2007, when Backlund came up with an idea to help women customize their hair just they way they wanted it, she didn’t have many supporters.  The Chef article discusses how she was rebuked about the idea by many people around here, including the bank managers who refused to approve her loan that would help get her company off the ground.

She was devastated about the rejection, but her perseverance won the day.  She continued trying to get Rapunzel of Sweden off the ground, if only part time.  She worked as a receptionist, as well as in the healthcare sector as she tried to get closer and closer to launching her dream.

After a bit of cash infusion from her boyfriend, Ida was able to leave her second jobs and focus on Rapunzel full time.  Her first employee was a friend who also worked in healthcare and wanted a change.  She was reluctant to leave the security of her job but the lure of something different and Ida assuring her that she would be paid went a long way.  It turned out to be the right call since Rapunzel’s second employee, Linnea is now the promotional manager at Rapunzel, now a company of 43 people.

So what was Ida’s secret?  She says it was a combination of identifying a customer need that no one was filling and believing in the concept.  She now has a daughter and says one of her greatest challenges is finding a work/life balance.  Funny how new challenges always emerge as others are overcome.

Antarctic Ozone Gap Decreasing in Size

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OzoneHole

Researchers are wary of exaggerating the amount of progress that has been made in repairing the ozone hole.

New data regarding the size of the much discussed “hole” in the ozone layer above Antarctica seems to reflect a decrease in size.  The findings, chronicled in this University Herald article, appear to be a sign that many of the international treaties of the last few decades aimed at minimizing air pollution may be paying off.  While scientists involved in the study are stopping short of calling the decrease a major victory, they do conclude that the smaller size of the whole indicates a step in the right direction.

With year over year decreases in size since 2006, the area of very thin ozone above Antarctica is about 7.3 million miles.  While this sounds like an astoundingly large number, the coverage area of the hole was 8 million last year, and around 10 million in 2006.  Researchers believe that the progress can be traced back to the Montreal Protocol of 1987.  It was at the summit that many of the world’s nations agreed to be more conscious of protecting the earth’s ozone layer by limiting the emission of chlorofluorocarbons.  Chlorofluorocarbons are generally agreed upon by the scientific community to have been the main cause of the hole’s initial formation, which is why limiting them has been a major contributor to the ozone gap’s shrinking size.  If the hole continues to be repaired, some of the negative effects such as higher risk of skin cancer, plant damage, and general harm to the environment may begin to be mitigated.

Not everyone is pleased with the findings, however.  NASA experts believe part of the reason the coverage size of the hole is smaller than in past years is because of the increase in average earth temperatures.  NASA’s researchers believe that the observation of a smaller hole is a positive development, but may be tied to the larger issue of global climate change rather than simply a reduction of chemicals that harm the ozone being emitted into the air.

As with many global environmental trends, this is a complex issue that the scientific community will continue to monitor, but at least on the surface, it appears to be a positive trend.

European Wildlife Numbers on the Rise

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Wolf

European species like the wolf have been increasing in population since the 1950s and 60s.

Since even before the industrial revolution wildlife in Europe has been on a sharp decline.  Over the years animals deeply ingrained in Europe’s history and lore like the bear and the wolf have seen their numbers consistently dwindle.  In a surprise piece of positive news, a BBC News article covers a new study that finds that many of these species thought to be on a slow path to extinction are actually making a comeback in terms of their populations.

Frans Schepers, the director of the foundation Rewilding Europe, says that the resurgence of these species has actually been going on since after WWII.  The relative calm of post-war Europe coupled with a more recent trend of re-urbanization from rural European areas has allowed some endangered animals to reproduce in a more natural and conducive environment.  The repopulation of European animals like the lynx, bear, eagle, and wolf are not all due to indirect circumstance, however.  Experts believe that environmental protection and conservation laws put into place by the European Union have played a large role as well.  Moratoriums on hunting have helped curtail the decline of some of these majestic animals.

Conservationists see this development as a road map for other parts of the world.  While this trend is certainly encouraging, the rest of the world, especially developing countries, are experiencing consistent decline in biodiversity and animal populations.  Regulations put into place by the EU could possibly help turn the tide in other parts of the world.

While environmentalists and conservationists are heralding the news, not everyone is happy.  The return of dangerous predators like the wolf are cause for concern for farmers who see them as a threat to their flocks of cattle and sheep.  The counter to that point of view, as noted by the BBC article, is that increased biodiversity could increase ecotourism to Europe and bring more money into rural areas.

The reemergence of Europe’s wildlife will certainly be a slow process, but hopefully this news will provide a good jumping off point for Europe as well as other parts of the world when it comes to protecting the natural world.