I woke up this morning convinced it was Friday…might have something to do with massive amounts of caffeine and lack of sleep…

But, much to my delight, there are two more days of roundups coming your way this week!

PHARMA’S GOT BIOTECH ENVY – Xconomy’s Stewart Lyman had an interesting piece yesterday about “Big Pharma” trying to remake itself as biotech. He summed up the reason behind this shift in one word: biologics….oh, and he also provided some very compelling analysis…read it all HERE .

OBAMA ADMIN’S RURAL TOUR TOUCHES ON IMPORTANCE OF BIOTECH – At the suggestion of @AgribizNews, we’ve been checking out the new website for the Obama Administration’s “Rural Tour”. We were happy to see the most recent post, titled “Discovering a Rural Renaissance” singing the praises of the positive impact that biotech is having on local, rural economies:

The main topic was the role education plays in revitalizing and rebuilding rural America but it wasn’t long before the local residents presented their own ideas for a 21st century economy. Questions ranged from expanding opportunities of local biomass production to the availability of funding for community colleges with a high-technology focus.

The highlight of the event came when Secretary Vilsack stated “One thing that sets us apart, as a people, is our capacity to innovate.” The crowd affirmed this statement with a loud applause. The pride and determination of the local residents to make Hamlet part of the new economy was so strong it was almost tangible.

With communities like Hamlet, NC leading the way, Secretary Vilsack said it best: There’s a rural renaissance about to take place if we just put the resources behind it.

…Ok, now I have to vent a bit…why is it that when policy-makers talk about all the great stuff biotech is doing they never actually say the word? If you have thoughts on this, please post them in the comments…

HEALTH RESEARCH ROUNDUP – Kaiser Health News always has a wealth of great information on health policy. This week’s Research Roundup links to some interesting new reports on health care reform, including a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which shows that 53% of Americans believe that “taking on health care reform is more important than ever”.

NIH ANNOUNCES $6M IN GRANTS FOR 2010 PIONEER AWARDS – NIH issued a request for applications for its Directors Pioneer Award program this week. The agency will fund at least seven awards to support “individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose pioneering and possibly transforming approaches to addressing major biomedical or behavioral challenges”. According to GenomeWeb’s post about the announcement:

The awards will be for up to $500,000 in direct costs over each year for five years, as well as some funding for facilities and administrative costs. Awardees must commit at least 51 percent of their research to activities supported by grants awarded under the program.

AUSTRALIA READIES FIRST MASS SWINE FLU CAMPAIGN – From FierceVaccines we learn that Australia has placed order for 21 million doses of swine flu vaccine – setting the stage for the world’s first mass vaccination campaign.

The first shipment of two million doses will go out next week with pregnant women, the chronically ill and health workers at the front of the line.

“I think it’s anticipated by the middle or end of September we will be starting to vaccinate the priority groups that, of course, are the most vulnerable,” said Health Minister Nicola Roxon. Australia has confirmed more than 32,000 cases of swine flu with 121 deaths. Health officials plan to be ready to start the jabs once interim human data is in hand.

SHOUTOUT TO….OURSELVES! – Ok, so we couldn’t resist posting this story from FierceBiotech about our “sister site” District9Facts.com. They picked up on a PR Week story about the site, saying:

Anyone reading FierceBiotech already knows about the Biotechnology Industry Organization. As the industry’s leading lobbyist and legislative dealmaker, BIO’s earnest assertions about productivity, patents and the future of drug development are hammered home to its target audience every day of the week. But there are millions of Americans who live their lives out in utter ignorance of BIO and biotechnology in general. And the industry group has started using some, well, rad methods to gain their attention.