Germany is ranked first among all participating countries for FP6. The latest available statistics from the European Commission show 7,449 German participations in 3,027 FP6 contracts, with a total EU contribution to German participants of around 2.3 billion.
The Commission is launching ERAWATCH, a new online information platform on research systems and policies within the European Union. ERAWATCH supports the ongoing construction of the European Research Area (ERA) by providing policy makers and policy analysts working in the field of science and research with condensed and updated information and analysis on the development of research systems and policies in all Member States of the European Union plus selected other countries. 
The ScanBalt association reports that ScanBalt BioRegion at the end of 2006 hosts 2129 Life science companies including 671 biotech companies, 323 phama companies and 370 medical device companies. The researchers found that by measuring the thickness of part of a patient's lower jaw, using software developed by the team, dentists could easily identify women and men at risk of the disease.
The programme cleared its final hurdle when it was adopted by the Council on 18 December 2006. The decision was widely expected following an agreement on a common position between the Parliament and Council in November. The common position meant that the decision could be adopted by the Environment Council without discussion.