EU Commission clears French biological R&D scheme

BRUSSELS, May 14 (Reuters) - European Union regulators approved on Thursday a 46.3-million-euro ($62.76 million) French scheme for improving the efficiency of biological research.

The five-year BioIntelligence research and development programme is intended to create positive effects in the bioinformatic and public health sectors, the executive European Commission said in a statement.

Companies involved in the project include French software company Dassault Systemes (DAST.PA), Sophia BioSystems and other companies in the IT and life sciences sectors as well as public research institutes.

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(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Timothy Heritage)