July 2008 California Institutes Collaborate to Build Stem Cell Lab San Diego's four largest research institutes, UCSD, Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, plan to build the nation's first-of-its-kind stem cell center, which scientists have dubbed a “collaboratory,” in La Jolla, CA. The $115 million center is envisioned as the core for a larger organization: the San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and is eligible for $43 million in state funds. More Information Colorado Governor Signs Biotech Incentives Bill Colorado Govenor Bill Ritter signed a $26.5 million incentive package for biotechnology research and startup businesses into law Thursday, April 24, 2008. The bill provides five-year grants to Colorado startup companies and research institutions seeking to commercialize new biotech drugs, biofuels, medical devices and nanotechnology. The grants are capped at $150,000 for research institutions and $250,000 for companies. More Information Florida’s incentive fund to lure big biotech dries up The Florida Innovation Incentive Fund, the state's deep well of cash for luring life-science institutes to Florida, is depleted and won't be replenished, at least not this year. In the past two years, the state has pumped $200 million and $250 million, respectively, into the fund. Economic-development projects drained it within months of approval. The Innovation Incentive Fund, a matching grant program in which cities and counties contributed the rest of the money, is responsible for attracting the Burnham Institute for Medical Research to Orlando, SRI International to Tampa, the Max Planck Society to Jupiter, and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and the Oregon-based Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute to Port St. Lucie. It also pumped $80 million into a new genomics institute at the University of Miami. Florida has pumped more than $900 million into attracting biotechnology institutes and companies to the state. More Information
Developers Jockey for Biotech Site in California Biotechnology developers are attempting to purchase a 25-acre waterfront site in South San Francisco that sources say could be worth more than $120 million. The site currently houses 400,000 square feet of industrial buildings. The property could be approved for a million square feet of rare waterfront biotech research and development space. More Information Spacehab, Florida to Develop Biotech Corridor in Space Spacehab Inc. announced a biotech partnership with the state of Florida to create a space-based biotechnology corridor for the eventual development of biotech products in space. This effort focuses on performing biomedical research on the space station and using a space biomedical designated lab on the ground to perform new research. The state of Florida has provided SPACEHAB with both financial backing and valuable research facilities. CA Community colleges, universities asked to join stem cell program State universities and community colleges got an invitation last week to join California's stem cell research program. A committee overseeing the $3 billion state program voted on Tuesday to appropriate $18 million to train undergraduate-level students in skills useful for stem-cell research. About 10 grants are expected to be awarded early next year by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the program's formal name. Lilly Completes Final Phase of Its Indianapolis Biotechnology Complex Eli Lilly and Company announced today completion of the final phase of its $1 billion effort to further strengthen the company's biotechnology research and development capabilities. The final and largest phase of the company's biotech operations - the Bioproduct Research and Development Laboratory in Indianapolis – is a 475,000 square foot, four-story laboratory and will be home to nearly 500 scientists and research support staff who are conducting cutting-edge research. The final phase marks the completion of the third of three facilities that make up the complex. The first phase of construction, completed in October 2006, was a state-of-the-art 250,000-square-foot bioproduct pilot manufacturing plant. The second phase, also opened in the fall of 2006, is a 10,000-square-foot research support facility. The Lilly complex has kept 800 high-paying jobs in Indianapolis. More Information SUNY plans $40 million redevelopment to include New York State Biotechnology Research Center SUNY Upstate Medical University will execute a $40 million redevelopment plan with Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) in Syracuse that will include the New York State Biotechnology Research Center. The money for the center was first allocated in the state budget in 2002. SUNY Upstate doesn’t owe anything for the property, but will pay the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County a portion of the back taxes, penalties, and fees that date back to 1993. The research center will cover four acres. More Information Enterprise Initiative Funds High School Biotech Program Wakulla High School (Florida) will add a biomedical technology track to its Health Sciences program next school year to prepare students for a field considered critical to diversifying the state's workforce. The program will be funded by a $130,000 grant from Florida's Great Northwest, the regional economic development organization, which developed an initiative called Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development two years ago to target industries, key jobs and the skills training necessary to support a 21st century workforce. More Information Groundbreaking at Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today broke ground on the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, an integral part of his statewide strategy to cement Wisconsin’s status as a leader in the fields of biotechnology, health sciences, and stem cell research. The Institutes will feature public and private research facilities for interdisciplinary research and greater collaboration with industry on the UW-Madison campus. Because it is a public-private institute, it will allow flexibility for researchers to convert their discoveries into commercial ventures that will create jobs. Construction is expected be completed in 2010 and to cost $150 million. It will be financed by state funds, a private gift of $50 million, and a matching $50 million contribution from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. Since taking office, Governor Doyle has vastly expanded the state’s investment in regenerative medicine and stem cell technologies with a goal of capturing 10 percent of the market by 2015. He also launched a $750 million initiative to develop stem cell research and biotechnology in Wisconsin. The centerpiece of this effort is the construction of the Institutes. |
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