VNU changes name; to team w/ Burrill & Co.

VNU (Haarlem, the Neth./New York) has changed its name to The Nielsen Company. VNU said the change reflects increased focus on marketing and media information services and more clearly suggest the company's position and role in the marketplace. The name change will be adopted by every part of the company's businesses, including VNU Business Media.

Also, life science merchant bank Burrill & Co. (San Francisco, CA) is spinning off its publications and conferences and has entered into an agreement with Nielsen Business Media (New York) to create a new life science media company. The new company, Burrill Life Sciences Media Group, will eventually include a portfolio of events, publications, newsletters and reports covering the biotechnology and related life science fields.

Burrill currently produces a range of information products including biotechnology books, newsletters, indices and industry quarterly reports, as well as events such as The Stem Cell Meeting, Personalized Medicine Meeting, and related events in the U.S., China, India and Japan. Nielsen Business Media CEO Robert Krakoff said the new group will play the same role in the life sciences industry as the company's "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Billboard" magazines do for the film and music industries, respectively. Besides its Nielsen holdings, The Nielsen Company produces 42 trade publications, 60 trade shows and 185 digital information products.