While US states continue to debate public funding for stem cell research, groups in the UK are moving ahead with their own funding plans. The Guardian reports that "plans for a £100m fund to exploit medical discoveries from stem cell research are being developed by entrepreneurs and the government to launch next year. ... A key figure in the proposal is Sir Chris Evans, millionaire founder of Merlin Biosciences, now one of Europe's largest venture capital firms specialising in life sciences. He is seeking to raise £50m from the private sector to be matched by government funds." The objective for this fund is to accelerate the path from scientific discovery to fully commercialized therapy.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1379264,00.html