BUDDING FORTH: Bangalore-based Sri Vasavi Florex Ltd, a 100 per cent export-oriented floriculture unit, has tied up with Sayag Nurseries of Israel to set up a joint venture unit in Doddaballapur, near Bangalore. Israel would provide the technical know-how on cultivation methods, plants, machinery and plant material and market the flowers outside the country. The unit would have eight greenhouses with a capacity to produce 9.2 million stems per annum. The global flower market is valued at Rs 750,000 million.

JOINING FORCES: Chiroscience of UK fortified its base in the biotechnology market by buying US-based Darwin Molecular for US $120 million in shares. The agreement expands its drug-development work based on the field of genetic research. Darwin will provide Chiroscience with new formulae for cancer and arthritis drugs. Darwin is involved in the mapping of the more than 100,000 genes contained in the human genetic makeup. Chiroscience aims at developing new drugs by screening millions of molecules that can be quickly tested for any drug potential.

CURRENT SOFTWARE: Utilities will be able to purchase and sell electric capacity with the help of a new Internet-based system. The system will be developed by the US-based International Business Machines Corp (IBM) and a unit of Germany's Siemens AG. The new system will make electricity cheaper in US by providing data to enable utilities to temporarily use the transmission lines of other power suppliers. The IBM-Siemens venture will charge US $10,000-$15,000 a month from each company, depending on size. They expect to capture around 25 per cent of the emerging power-trading information market.

RESOURCES ON-LINE: ESRI India, an alliance between Delhi's NIIT Ltd and ESRI Inc of US, will soon make available technical consultancy for geographical information systems (GIS) software in India. GIS involves spatial data used for the preparation of maps, creation and management of databases and analysis of remote sensed satellite data. According to Vijay K Thadani, NIIT president, the tie-up will "allow India to manage its natural resources like forests, land and watersheds better through enhanced use of GIS."

GREEN PUMPS: People living in remote areas will soon benefit from a water pump running on non-conventional energy, being developed by Pune- based ELPRO International Ltd. The company has entered into an agreement with Sunpower Inc, a US-based company. The joint venture !hopes to produce the prototype by mid-1997. The pump will be powered by biogas, bagasse, wood shavings and twigs. It will be marketed , in areas where diesel cannot be carried and electricity is not available. The pump will be priced between Rs 10,000- 12,000.

GOING EASTWARD: British Biotech PLC has tied up with Japan's Tanabe Seiyaku Co to develop and market the company's experimental but promising cancer medicine Marimastat in Japan. As per the agreement, the British drug-maker will receive US $74 million plus royalties on sales of Marimastat if the drug passes clinical testing and is introduced in the Japanese market. All development costs including costs of extra clinical trials conducted locally, will be borne by Tanabe.