BIO Releases Bioscience Economic Development Report and Guide

April 23, 2013

• Contact: George Goodno
• Phone: 202-962-6660
• Email: ggoodno@bio.org

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) released its “Bioscience Economic Development: Legislative Priorities, Best Practices, and Return On Investment” report today at the 2013 BIO International Convention.

The Best Practices Guide is the bioscience industry’s leading comprehensive analysis of state legislative and regulatory initiatives in support of economic development.

At the 2013 BIO International Convention, Tom Corbett (PA), Rick Perry (TX), and Jay Nixon (MO) came together to support the report’s release and discuss bioscience industry economic development and state policies that have proven successful in assisting industry growth.

Photos and Video of Panel Available Upon Request.

Although the recent economic downturn impacted the bioscience industry’s financial wellbeing, almost every state in the country has continued to actively engage in building the bioscience infrastructure. From state sponsored programs to creating supportive tax environments in capital formation, states are encouraging investment and helping bioscience companies leverage their existing resources.

“The bioscience industry is an economic engine that provides high-wage, high-skilled jobs across a broad range of occupations,” said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. “Wide-ranging collaboration between industry partners, universities, and policymakers is essential for bioscience economic development and industry growth.”

The report, which conducted a review of all 50 states and their initiatives to support bioscience companies, highlights key examples of state efforts to grow and sustain the bioscience industry while emphasizing the importance of developing trained workforces that will create, grow, and retain bioscience companies. In evaluating initiatives put forth by the states, the report also explores rational behind current legislative efforts and offers a reference guide showing the application of specific legislation in certain states and outcomes.

“America is the world leader in biotechnology. Our nation’s biotechnology industry is comprised of scientists, entrepreneurs, and large and small companies in all 50 states engaged in translating the latest scientific discoveries into innovative new medical therapies and environmental products, increased agricultural production and farm incomes, and greener bio-based products and biofuels,” said Greenwood. “Nationwide, our industry directly employs more than 1.6 million people and indirectly generates jobs for an additional 5 million people. These are high-quality jobs, paying substantially more than the average U.S. wage.”

Photos and Video of Panel Available Upon Request.

About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

“Where Are The Jobs?” – Workforce Trends Report for the Life Science Industry Released

For Immediate Release

• Contact: Janelle Curtis
• Phone: 202-312-9266
• Email: jcurtis@biotechinstitute.org

[Chicago, IL - April 22, 2013] -  The Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) and Booz & Company have issued a report, entitled “Demand for Talent: Current & Projected Workforce Trends in the Life Science Industry,”  which provides a snapshot of  the most current and projected workforce needs within the United States’ life science industry and calls for broader industry participation in an ongoing analysis of talent demand.

Two of the most pressing questions for the life science industry today are “where are the jobs?” and “where are the jobs going to be?” This first-of-its-kind national analysis provides insights into these questions, drawing from thousands of current job postings and interviews with strategic industry leaders across the country about their projected talent needs

“The life science industry continues to be an engine for job creation, necessitating adequate talent development at all levels of education and across multiple disciplines, with particular need for entry level technicians as well as managers with advanced experience, especially in regulatory and compliance functions,” said Lori Lindburg, CSBI Chair and Executive Director, BayBio Institute.

The report identifies the life science industry’s current demand for skilled, cross-functional and flexible knowledge workers, and suggests that increased industry/academia collaboration and an effort to create national industry certifications could begin to address gaps in the US talent pipeline.  This need for a highly trained workforce shows up in four distinct ways:

* Substantial need for employees with baccalaureate and advanced degrees
* Relatively low need for high school-only graduates
* Advanced /specialization degrees, such as bioinformatics, biostatistics and computational biology, as well as engineers with the ability to manage complex biological process scale-up, are in exceptional demand
* Industry and experience-specific job skills in disciplines such as Regulatory and Quality Systems continue to be in short supply

Download the Report Here

About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

 

About IHIF

The diverse members of the Indiana Health Industry Forum generate the collective voice of the state’s health and life science industry.  The Forum connects key stakeholders to: enhance business networks, advocate for member interests, develop workforce skills, and provide strategic vision in the interest of growing the state’s health industry economy and reputation.  Our mission is to make Indiana the premier location to start and grow a health science business. IHIF is the Indiana affiliate organization for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and is a founding member of the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI). For more information, please visit www.ihif.org.

Angel Fund Aims to Boost Bloomington Business – Newsroom – Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick

Angel Fund Aims to Boost Bloomington Business – Newsroom – Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.

Bloomington Economic Development Corp. President Ron Walker hopes a new angel fund chapter will help connect the city’s “very thriving entrepreneurial community” with much-needed resources. Indianapolis-based StepStone Business Partners LLC has formed a new chapter in Bloomington. The organization is planning to launch up to three more chapters during the year and currently includes a network of more than 50 investors interested in early-stage companies.

IHIF Sponsors iGEM Team – Search Still on For Additional Sponsors

The Indiana Health Industry Forum is pleased to announce that it has become a $500 sponsor of an Indiana high school team competing in the International Genetically Engineered Machine Foundation (iGEM) competition around synthetic biology.

The student team is from the McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology in Indianapolis.  The students are, “focusing this year on an early detection method for skin cancer.  We are working to design a bacterial salve that could be spread on potential areas of abnormal cell growth.  The bacteria would detect the abnormal growth and fluoresce to indicate the need for more comprehensive testing.  The iGEM students want to create an inexpensive, easy to use early detection system to help those with limited or no access to preventative medical care”.

The students are seeking a $1,000 corporate sponsor or

two $500 sponsors. Deadline is Friday, December 21.

For more about iGEM, please visit http://igem.org/About

To become a sponsor or for more information, please contact:

Carletta Sullivan, Community Liaison

McKenzie Center for Innovation & Technology

7250 E. 75th Street

Indianapolis, IN  46256

317/964-8006

carlettasullivan@msdlt.k12.in.us

John Lechleiter: Keys to Indiana’s success | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com

John Lechleiter: Keys to Indiana’s success | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com.

5:39 PM, Nov 23, 2012

You might be surprised to know that Indiana is in the top five among all states in employment in the life sciences, or that only two states — California and Texas — have more life sciences exports than Indiana, or that more people in Indiana work in life sciences than in the automobile industry.

Yes, the life sciences are Indiana’s greatest economic success story of recent times. But Indiana’s continued leadership in life sciences is in serious jeopardy. We can’t afford to squander the advantage we’ve created. We need to take action — now.

For all our progress in the life sciences, regions across the U.S. and around the world have their eyes on the same goal, even as some of our strongest competitors are taking further bold steps to distance themselves from the pack.

Building on the success we’ve achieved will require a far larger — and much more ambitious — shared effort among Indiana’s life sciences companies, research universities and state government.

The key question facing us today is: What is it going to take for Indiana to maintain leadership in the life sciences and to compete effectively on the world stage? Let me lay out three imperatives — and at least one bold idea:

The first imperative is a concerted effort to attract and retain the most talented people we can find. This is fundamental to our continued success.

We need to start by focusing on better educating our own citizens. To cite just one relevant indicator, the latest test scores from the U.S. Dept. of Education showed only 33 percent of Indiana 8th graders to be proficient in science. We need a sustained, intense effort in K-12 education to improve performance. We must also ensure that Indiana’s business environment — currently ranked fifth best on Chief Executive magazine’s annual list — remains favorable to new and existing businesses, and supports the creation of good jobs. And we need to continually improve the quality of life for our citizens and to be a welcoming place for those who might consider moving here.

The second imperative is a culture change among our companies and our leading academic institutions in terms of how we see one another and how we work together.

In my view, Indiana’s great research universities — public and private — must embrace the notion that one of their prime functions is to actively assist in the process of translating new knowledge into useful products that serve the larger society. We need an infusion of entrepreneurial spirit into our research universities — more people open to pursuing the applications of their research, working collaboratively with others outside their own walls, including industry, and, yes, even starting companies. This is what we see today in San Francisco, in Boston, in San Diego, but not nearly as much as we should here.

Third, we need the active engagement of Indiana state government — which has been supportive, but too often cheering from the sidelines — as an engaged partner with academia and industry in advancing life sciences in Indiana.

The fact is, our top competitors are moving farther ahead, with initiatives like a Massachusetts program that provides $1 billion in state support for biotechnology, including tax incentives to encourage companies to expand, and grants for research, fellowships and workforce training. Now is the time for the State of Indiana to demonstrate in its own way a commitment to the life sciences to answer the challenge of leading competitors like California, Massachusetts, North Carolina — not to mention numerous other cities, regions and countries around the world.

The bottom line? All of the participants in Indiana’s life sciences need to be as innovative in the ways we work together — across disciplines and across institutions — as in the science we pursue.

Now for the bold idea: creating a world-class life sciences research institute in Indiana. This institute will engage entrepreneurial faculty from leading research universities here and around the world — enabling them to work collaboratively with industry to pursue pioneering research in biotechnology, human health and nutrition.

The Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass.; the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego; and the Danforth Institute in St. Louis are all good examples of research powerhouses that energize a network of life sciences activity in their respective regions.

Finally and importantly, we need a new perspective and a revamped self-image. For too long, Indiana has seemed to be surprised at our success in life sciences, and our ability to compete with the likes of Boston and San Francisco. It’s time to recognize that we’re a leader, to stand tall, and to be content with nothing less than world-class leadership in this 21st Century industry.

As we act with urgency, let’s also act with confidence and boldness, and deliver an effort that’s worthy of the mid-American crossroads of life sciences — Indiana — and chart a course for even greater success and growth. My own company stands ready to participate and to lend its support.

Lechleiter is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company.

Lilly CEO Calls on State to Step Up – Newsroom – Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick

Lilly CEO Calls on State to Step Up – Newsroom – Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.

The chief executive officer of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY) is proposing a “bold stroke” for the state’s life sciences sector. John Lechleiter is calling for the establishment of a world-class research institute in Indiana to recruit and retain top academic talent. He outlined the plan during today’s Indiana Life Sciences Summit.

Midwest E3 Summit Attracting Angel Investors, Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders to Indiana

StepStone Business Partners is proud to announce open registration for the Midwest Empowering an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit that will be held in conjunction with the Venture Club of Indiana’s Innovation Showcase on July 11th and July 12th in Indianapolis.

TechPoint and TechPoint Ventures’ seed funding organization Halo Capital Group are proud sponsors of this event.

The Midwest E3 Summit has been designed to attract angel investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across Indiana and the Midwest who are looking to enhance capital and intellectual resource formation for early stage technology companies in the region.

The agenda will include panels and sessions that cover topics such as:

• Midwest Angel investment landscape
• Angel investment preferences
• Portfolio strategy
• Investor diligence
• Term sheets
• Governance

StepStone Business Partners believes that education and experience coupled in a networking environment will help foster investor confidence in early stage investment opportunities that will translate to higher levels of capital and intellectual resources availability for entrepreneurial companies.

Full tickets include admission to both the Midwest E3 Summit and the Venture Club’s Innovation Showcase. Seating will be limited.

Learn more about the Midwest E3 Summit http://www.midweste3.com/

Register now for the Midwest E3 Summit http://www.midweste3.com/registration/

Questions? Contact StepStone Business Partners at 317-635-9070
or via email at support@midweste3.com.

Indiana Health Industry Forum Releases Statewide Strategic Plan

INDIANAPOLIS (May 8, 2012) - The Indiana Health Industry Forum (IHIF), a not-for-profit organization representing Indiana’s health science business community, today released a “Statewide Strategic Plan for Indiana’s Health Science Sector: 2012-2017”.  “We are very pleased to present the results of several months of research and consultation with industry leaders”, said IHIF president, Kristin Jones.  “This plan articulates the needs and interests of our health science business community and puts us on the path to addressing those challenges together”.

Released in conjunction with IHIF’s annual meeting, the plan provides recommendations around several key areas: capital formation, research and technology commercialization, business climate, workforce and education, and public policy.  According to Dr. Joerg Schrieber, Chairman of the IHIF Board of Directors, “what we have learned through this process is that there is great consensus among members of the industry as to what challenges we face.  We also know that these challenges are not unique to Indiana and that other states and regions are taking the initiative to address the gaps.  We can learn a lot from our friends and neighbors that can be applied here, to fit our culture and structure”.

The report offers thirteen recommendations which are accompanied by specific action steps.  While the Indiana Health Industry Forum will oversee the execution of the plan, there is continued reliance on industry members, other related organizations, and the plan’s committees to move the agenda ahead.  “Benchmark reports will be issued every six months in order to keep everyone informed and apprised of progress,” said Jones.

The IHIF 2012 Annual Meeting also features a panel discussion on “Supporting Innovative Economies” and keynote speakers, Fritz Bittenbender, Vice President, Alliance Development and State Government Relations for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and Matthew Hudes, U.S. Managing Principal, Biotechnology, for Deloitte, who will be presenting industry outlooks and discussing programs and approaches to building and supporting industry clusters.  The meeting concludes with a look ahead at national policy issues facing the medical device, pharma/biotech, and healthcare delivery sectors.

The “Statewide Strategic Plan for Indiana’s Health Science Sector: 2012-2017”, is sponsored by Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, Duke Energy, Commissioning Agents, Inc., and Develop Indy/16 Tech, a downtown Indianapolis technology park. For more information on the Statewide Strategic Plan and IHIF’s 2012 Annual meeting, please visit www.ihif.org.

About IHIF

The diverse members of the Indiana Health Industry Forum generate the collective voice of the state’s health and life science industry. The Forum connects key stakeholders to enhance business networks, advocate for member interests, develop workforce skills, and provide strategic vision in the interest of growing the state’s health industry economy and reputation. IHIF is the Indiana affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). To learn more, please visit http://www.ihif.org or contact IHIF at 317.278.9970.

Project Lead the Way Poster Event

BIO: JOBS bill would offer relief to biopharma, biotech startups

House lawmakers voted 380-41 to approve the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, sending it to President Obama for signing into law. BIO, one of the groups backing the bill, said the act’s “on-ramp” provision for initial public offerings will allow biopharmas to focus on disease research. “This legislation incentivizes and encourages capital formation for small, emerging biotechnology companies, speeding the development of new cures and treatments for patients living with debilitating diseases,” BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood said. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (3/28)

 

Source: BIO Smartbrief

Read more at SmartBrief.com