Hurrah for the news that a GM yeast has been developed that can convert crop waste into biofuel! Not just because this is an awesome thing in its own right (which it is), but also because it opens up the intriguing thought that we could start using those rascals to do lots of things that GM-doubters would like.

The start of Europe’s new financial framework and the framework research programme Horizon 2020 seems a good moment to take a step back and look into some recent and not so recent – but even more substantial – changes in (bio-)technology policy paradigms.