| Abstract
| - The first part of this paper describes the evaluation procedure or peer review undertaken by the European Union biotechnology programme. The second part assesses the evaluation procedure, through an analysis of the responses to a questionnaire sent to all experts who have participated in the evaluation of proposals for the current biotechnology programme of the Fourth Framework Programme (1994-98). The overall feedback from evaluators is of general satisfaction. Panel discussions have sometimes led to policy-making, for instance, in the ‘clustering’ of research initiatives with a potential for synergy and wider spin-offs. Evaluation reports have triggered daring initiatives to cross-link new technology trends with the needs of a diverse community of users.
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