Genius

Genius GmbH (Ltd) is a biotech PR firm based in Germany. The company is described on its website as "a communicator between the field of science and the society".

Genius was founded in 1998 as a spin-off of the Technical University Darmstadt (Technische Universität Darmstadt). Shareholders are Kristina Sinemus, Klaus Minol, Hans Günter Gassen und Mogg. Kristina Sinemus is CEO, Klaus Minol Scientific Head.

Projects

Genius not only conceptualizes and designs print and online publications, but also provides content for them and develops some of this content through the active participation in German and EU projects. Genius describes itself as a “facilitator of transparency and communication” (Vermittler von Transparenz und Kommunikation), but the PR and consultancy company has a clear position in favour of genetic engineering.

GMO Safety

The pro-GM website GMO Safety (www.gmosafety.eu) is organised by a project network of Genius, the web PR firm i-Bio Information Biowissenschaften (Transgen) and (formerly) TÜV Nord.

The GMO Safety website is financed by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and prominently displays this logo on its website, thus giving the impression of being publicly funded. Only at the foot of the website in tiny letters is there a link to the website of the private company, Genius.

A legal disclaimer lets the German ministry BMBF off the hook for any information put out on the GMO Safety site, saying: "The BMBF is not responsible for the information presented on GMO-Safety.eu."

The legal disclaimer page goes on to list the GMO Safety Project Leader as:

Genius GmbH

and lists the staff as:

• Dr. Kristina Sinemus (Head of Project Network) - she is also the CEO of Genius.
• Dr. Klaus Minol (Assistant Project Management) - he is also the Scientific Manager of Genius.
• Gabriele Völcker, Dr. Barbara Löchte, Dr. Alexander Stein

GMO Safety publishes the results of BMBF projects and additional information on genetic engineering.

GMO Safety is supported by the EU project BIOSAFENET, which in turn is headed by Joachim Schiemann. BIOSAFENET announced in one of its conference advertising leaflets that it had given its "Active cooperation in the development and editing of GMO‐Safety, a comprehensive information platform for political representatives, stakeholders and the general public. GMO‐Safety, a project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), offers multimedia material prepared by journalists on the goals and results of biosafety research."

GMO Safety is also supported by International Society for Biosafety Research (ISBR). Klaus Minol is the contact person for BIOSAFENET and the results of this project are published on gmosafety.eu.

GMO Compass

GMO Compass is a pro-GM website that makes claims to neutrality:

GMO Compass is not decidedly 'for' or 'against' genetic engineering. The website does not seek to discourage the use of genetic engineering in food and agriculture, nor does it seek to promote it.

GMO Compass is maintained by Genius and the web PR firm i-bio Information Biowissenschaften (Transgen).

GMO Compass's CEO is Dr. Kristina Sinemus. She is also the CEO of Genius.

The setting-up of the GMO Compass website was financially supported by the European Union within the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme from 1 January 2005 until 28 February 2007.

However, the European Commission and other EU agencies say they "are not responsible for the content".

Other projects

Kristina Sinemus and Klaus Minol represent Genius in the EU project CO-EXTRA as members of the management board, executive committee, as head of a working group and as editorial office.

Kristina Sinemus represents Genius in the EU project, Technology Platform Plants for the Future.

Participation in lobby organisations

Kristina Sinemus is member of the website committee of International Society for Biosafety Research (ISBR).

The company Genius is member of BIO Germany and of the EFB.

Funding and clients

Genius has a wide range of clients from the German and European business sector and governments.

Clients as at January 2011 include the German Ministry for education and research (BMBF), German Ministry for food, agriculture and consumer protection (BVL), the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); the biotechnology and agrochemical companies BASF AG, BASF Plant Science, Bayer AG, DuPont, Syngenta, and Novartis; pharma firm Pfizer Animal Health; the public-private plant breeding organisation InnoPlanta e.V.; and the public-private partnership Science4Life.

An older website of Genius (last updated 2006) lists the American Soybean Association and EuropaBio as clients.

Genius has edited EFSA's publications, including its annual report 2006.

Staff

This list is from the older Genius website, last updated 2006:

• Dr Kristina Sinemus - CEO. Also Head of Project Network at GMO Safety
• Dr. Klaus Minol - Scientific Manager
• Patrick Schmidt-Kühnle - Public Relations Director, October 1999—April 2008. As of Sept 21, 2010, he is social media manager for agrochemical and GM giant BASF
• Dr. Elisabeth Schulte - Agricultural Science
• Linda Hartenberger - Executive Assistant to the Management

As at January 2011 the new Genius website does not have a list of staff.

On the GMO Compass website, Dr. Alexander Stein is listed as one of the GMO Compass editorial team based at Genius.

Website

www.genius.de

Contact

Darmstadt

Robert-Bosch-Str. 7 · 64293 Darmstadt

Phone: +49 (0)6151 872 40 40

Telefax: +49 (0)6151 872 40 41

Berlin

Am Weidendamm 1a · 10117 Berlin

Phone: +49 (0)30 72 62 59 72

Telefax: +49 (0)30 72 62 59 70

info[AT]genius.de

http://www.genius.de