First North Announcement no. 12 2007/ 31st July, 2007
Copenhagen, 31st July, 2007
Resume: Aresa enters important new international collaboration and has received
financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs department of
Humanitarian Assistance and NGO Cooperation
Aresa enters new international collaboration
The plantbiotech company Aresa has received financial support from the Danish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs department of Humanitarian Assistance and NGO
Cooperation (HUM) for the completion of a series of tests on leakage of TNT and
TNT degradation products from different types of landmines in different types of
soil and climatic conditions.
The test will be performed with different types of landmines under a variety of
soil and climatic conditions in selected areas in Africa and in South East
Europe, as well as at Aresa's own test site facilities in Denmark, Croatia and
Serbia.
A number of collaborative partners and experts within soil analysis and TNT
leakage will be involved in the testing, among others the Danish Defence Force
(Dandec), the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Croatian Centre for Test
and Evaluation (CTRO), Serbian Ministry of Defence (EOD Civil Defence), Institut
for environmental protection in Belgrade (IPPE), International Mine Action
Centre in Nairobi Kenya (IMATC), the Belgian mine clearing organisation Apopo in
Tanzania, as well as a number of independent experts from Cranfield University,
Nordic Demining Research Forum (NDRF) and the International Centre for
Humanitarian Demining in Geneva (GICHD).
The tests will give valuable information on TNT leakage from landmines under a
variety of soil and climatic conditions and the final report will be made
publicly available and will thus, not only benefit Aresa in the further
development of the landmine detecting plant, RedDetect™, but also other players
within the demining community.
“The decision of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide financial
support to this project is a major step in the right direction in the further
development of the landmine plant, RedDetect™, and will furthermore provide
valuable data to others involved in humanitarian demining” says CEO Jarne
Elleholm.
The project will start with immediate effect and the results are expected to be
presented at an international workshop in Copenhagen in December this year.
The content of this press release is not expected to have impact on the result
for the current fiscal year.
Best regards,
Jarne Elleholm Ole Andersen
CEO Chairman
Aresa A/S Aresa A/S
Further information can be obtained by contacting Jarne Elleholm, CEO for Aresa
A/S on +45 70227747, mobile: +45 41190136, Ole Andersen, Chairman on +45
40580214 or to the company's financial advisor HSH Gudme Corporate Finance A/S,
Morten Kjærulff, Director, +45 33449431.
About Aresa
Aresa is a plant biotech company established in 2001 by the company's current
CSO, Carsten Meier and has origins from the Institute of Molecular Biology at
Copenhagen University.
Aresa has developed two plant based technology platforms, BioSensor for the
detection of substances in soil, hereunder evaporation of explosives from
landmines; and BioPharma, a tool for the optimisation and production of
antibodies and proteins in plants.
Aresa was listed on the Copenhagen OMX-First North market place in 2006. Aresa
is based at Symbion Science Park in Copenhagen and has greenhouse facilities in
the outskirts of Copenhagen and test areas in Denmark, Croatia and now also in
Bosnia Herzegovina. Aresa has 16 employees, hereof 8 within research and
development and 5 within landmine operations.
About The Department of Humanitarian Assistance and NGO Cooperation (HUM)
in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In 1999, Denmark signed the Ottawa Convention, which bans all production,
export, use of and trade in anti-personnel mines and requires the destruction
of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines. Globally, Denmark is among the ten
largest contributors to mine action and among the five largest donors in the EU.
In 2005, Denmark's accumulated contribution to mine action totalled DKK 902
million (EUR 121 million).
In October 2006 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published Denmark's new strategy
for demining aiming to support the goals set as part of the Ottawa convention.
New in the strategy is the possibility to support Technological research and
development to improve productivity and cost-efficiency. The objective of
Denmark's support
Read more at http://amg.um.dk/en/menu/PoliciesAndStrategies/Mine+Action/
