Good citizens wanted

The U.K.'s BioIndustry Association hopes it can convince lawmakers that a public funding scheme that allows retail investors to fund private, innovator companies can be as successful in the U.K. as its French counterpart.

In 1997, France launched the Fonds Commun de Placement dans l'Innovation (FCPI). According to a BIA report, the French scheme has led to the establishment of 300 separate funds that together have raised more than €6 billion ($7.7 billion) and invested in more than 1,000 companies in the healthcare, tech and cleantech industries...