Summer/Fall 2009
The Bioscience Conference that thinks globally
Where in the world are bioscience opportunities? To discover some answers, the 2009 BioOhio Annual Conference, “BioGPS: Global Positioning for Success,” will feature a multitude of topics on the globalization of bioscience business and research, from conducting foreign clinical trials and exporting your products to the global impact of the Third Frontier Project and the influx of international companies expanding in Ohio.
The annual conference will be held September 30 and October 1 at the Embassy Suites in Dublin, a nearby northwest suburb of Columbus. Registration is only $70 for members and students, and $140 for non-members. If you’re not yet registered, it’s easy to do right here:
www.bioohio.com/news/Annual-Conference/Registration.aspx. The signature event regularly draws 325 attendees or more.
Our keynote address will be delivered by Battelle President & CEO Jeffrey Wadsworth, who will describe the global success and future ambitions of the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization. To quote Battelle’s web site on the topic of globalization, “Battelle has always taken the ‘long view’ of technology globalization—we collaborate, partner, and invest strategically in other countries, because we know the globalization of Battelle’s business depends on mutual respect and shared success.” Words to grow by.
Wadsworth joined Battelle in 2002 after 10 years of senior leadership responsibilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. During his tenure as Deputy Director for Science and Technology, he significantly increased interactions and collaborations with industry.
In addition, a stellar line-up of panelists and presenters on October 1 includes P&G Health Care's Kevin Driscoll, Meridian Bioscience CEO Jack Kraeutler, U.S. Export Assistance Center Director Roberta Ford, Dr. Michael Knopp of the Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging, Center for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Executive Director Dr. Debra Grega, Proxy Biomedical's Peter Gingras, and many more who will share their experience and insight on the bioscience global marketplace.
Sessions include Entering Global Markets, The Third Frontier’s Worldwide Reach, Global Communications with ImprovEdge, a diverse panel on establishing international partnerships, and International Clinical Trials. For a complete agenda:
www.bioohio.com/news/Annual-Conference/Agenda.aspx.
The evening activities on September 30 include the 5th Annual Student Poster Competition, an opening reception featuring international hors d’oeuvres stations, sponsor booths, and, of course, excellent networking. Sessions begin on October 1st shortly after 8:30am.
If your organization is not yet operating or marketing globally, this is a can’t-miss event. And if your firm is already international in some respect, insight and advice from the experts on stage certainly will help you maximize your global strategy.
Premium sponsors of the 2009 Annual Conference are Camargo Pharmaceutical Services, Porter Wright, NPI, and Calfee.
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Israeli bioscience training firm chooses Ohio to launch U.S. expansion
In July Israel’s BioForum Applied Knowledge Center launched the U.S. expansion of their bioscience training and education programs in Beachwood, Ohio. The company’s Ohio location is complemented by a collaboration agreement with BioOhio, the state’s bioscience development and membership organization.
BioForum provides training and education programs for the pharmaceutical, chemical, biotech and medical device industries, offering over 350 training courses and seminars to biomedical regulators, manufacturers and developers. The company’s location in the Beachwood Business Development Center will serve as an applied education and training center for biomedical industry professionals.
BioForum signed an office space agreement in mid-June, when representatives from the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce, BioOhio, State of Ohio, City of Beachwood, TeamNEO, City of Akron, and the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center attended a biomedical conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
According to BioForum CEO Amir Malka, BioForum has hired their first Ohio employee and plan to add a second associate very soon. He expects to hire between four and eight employees over the next three years.
BioForum began operations in Israel in 1998 and currently has 26 full-time employees at its offices in the Weizmann Science Park in Rehovot, Israel.
In addition to finding a location to launch BioForum’s services in the U.S., Malka also found an organization in Ohio to help connect with potential clients and partners. While in Israel this summer, BioOhio Business Development Director Scott Osborne visited BioForum’s Rehovot headquarters to sign a collaboration agreement and welcome BioForum as a new BioOhio member.
Initially BioOhio will connect BioForum to bioscience firms with whom they will conduct their foundational training needs assessments. These assessments will shape BioForum’s U.S. seminar offerings. BioForum also has asked BioOhio to identify experts to lead seminars and training courses, which will include discounted prices for fellow BioOhio members.
“BioForum’s goals are aligned with the goals of BioOhio and those of the State of Ohio in strengthening and developing the biomedical workforce in the state,” Osborne said. “Enhancing the expertise and skill sets of Ohio’s workforce is a prominent factor in growing and attracting bioscience businesses from around the world.”
Since May, six companies have announced plans to establish offices in Ohio, five of which are from Israel in addition to BioForum. Three Israeli heart companies—Cardiostar Ltd., Sensible Medical Innovations Ltd. and Vasostar Ltd.—will develop their products in Ohio as part of new investments from the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center in Cleveland. Founded in Israel, CMRlinx recently chose Columbus to market and continue development of its electronic medical records solutions. Theravasc, a pharmaceutical start-up focused on cardiovascular disease, announced in June its plans to move from Louisiana to Cleveland and start clinical trials on at least one drug this fall.
According to BioOhio Vice President John F. Lewis Jr., this is a continuation of a trend that has not been sidetracked by the economic downturn. “Within the last 3 years, BioOhio is now counting at least 40 bioscience-related companies that have established a new facility in Ohio after consideration of various sites around the world,” he said. “Ten already in 2009.”
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BioOhio Education Summit celebrates, then motivates
Held on September 1 in Columbus, the 1st Annual BioOhio Education Summit provided a forum for Ohio’s secondary education community to discuss expanding bioscience curriculum in Ohio’s schools. More than 80 teachers, administrators and education advocates from throughout the state attended.
Planning of the BioOhio Education Summit was catalyzed by the May 2009 report “
Taking the Pulse of Bioscience Education in America,” prepared by Battelle in cooperation with BIO and the Biotechnology Institute. The report is the first ever comprehensive study of middle and high school bioscience education in the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Based on patterns of student performance, Ohio and seven other states were placed in the “Leaders of the Pack” category. But the overall message is that states across America are failing to prepare middle and high school students for pursuing biosciences in higher education—a key pipeline for developing the future bioscience workforce.
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| Battelle's Marianne Clark speaks to Ohio educators |
“While we kicked off the meeting by celebrating Ohio’s leadership status, we focused the remainder of the day on motivating and educating our attendees,” said BioOhio Senior Director of Workforce & Education Bill Tacon. “We want the teachers and administrators in the audience to go back to their schools and initiate or expand bioscience curriculum.”
Marianne Clark of Battelle’s Technology Partnership Practice presented results of the bioscience education report and discussed suggestions for improvement, both nationwide and specific to Ohio. She said the report should be viewed as just a first step in a process to develop better indicators of bioscience education in the U.S. and that more must be done to improve quality if the U.S. is to remain globally competitive in the biosciences.
A panel of high school educators, who have implemented successful bioscience programs in their schools, followed Clark. Jamie Allison of Loveland High School, Tim Nolan of the Greater Cincinnati Tech Prep Consortium, Amy Elderbrock and Mike McDaniel from Ashland West Holmes Career Center, and Metro Early College High School’s Jane Ensign shared strategies and lessons learned with peers in the audience.
Cincinnati-based NetTrekker’s founder and CEO Randy Wilhelm then shared his vision of how Ohio can be a leader in 21st century learning. He said the key to a robust economy is to properly fund education to create a highly skilled work force that can utilize technology and adapt to changing circumstances, work in teams, and communicate.
To cap the day, a higher education panel session featuring university professors and a workforce preparedness panel including industry representatives discussed the skills and competencies required to pursue bioscience degrees and careers.
BioOhio plans on holding a similar event at least once a year. See photos from the event on
Flickr.
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BioOhio Government Affairs Update
compiled by Colby & Co.
State
Due to the most challenging state budget in over 30 years, this year’s biennial budget debate was extremely contentious. BioOhio led several advocacy efforts to ensure the bioscience industry was not significantly harmed with budget cuts.
Bioscience JOBS Stimulus Funding
Ohio’s budget shortfall has had a major negative impact on Medicaid children’s health services. Legislators attempted to use $150 million in biomedical and bioproduct funding that was included in Gov. Strickland’s JOBS stimulus package last summer to fill a gap in Medicaid. The money had been tied up in litigation due to a lawsuit from the Ohio Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Foundation, which opposed the use of tobacco settlement dollars for economic development. A recent ruling by a judge in Franklin County prohibited legislators from using the money for Medicaid, which caused a new $150 million gap in the state budget. BioOhio will continue to advocate for this funding in the upcoming Third Frontier bond issue renewal, which is expected to be passed by the Legislature this fall.
BioOhio Hosts Bio-Manufacturing Meeting
BioOhio and its Edison center partners, TechSolve and EMTEC, recently hosted Rep. Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland), chairwoman of the House Economic Development Committee, to discuss how the state and the Third Frontier program could help traditional Ohio manufacturers transition into medical devices. Several Southwest Ohio manufacturing CEOs attended the meeting at TechSolve to advocate for a greater state role in expediting and assisting companies in making the transition. Rep. Williams told the meeting attendees that she was convinced there was both potential for Ohio companies to get into bio-manufacturing, but that companies needed to be very aggressive in making their message heard in Columbus. BioOhio President & CEO Tony Dennis reiterated BioOhio’s commitment to advocate for programs that help Ohio’s traditional manufacturers respond to biomedical industry opportunities.
Legislature to Vote on Third Frontier Bond Renewal
The Ohio Legislature is set to put renewal of the Third Frontier bond issue on the May 2010 ballot. The Legislature will take up the issue when it reconvenes in September. BioOhio is working to update the Third Frontier to include more flexibility in using funds for company attraction and expansion, commercialization, bio-manufacturing assistance for traditional manufacturers, and for helping start-ups access services such as market research, patents, legal advice and clinical trials.
Rep. Pillich Visits Girindus
Rep. Connie Pillich (D-Cincinnati), a first-term state representative who is a member of the new House Bioscience Caucus being formed by BioOhio, toured Girindus and the University of Cincinnati's Genome Research Institute (GRI) in August. Both of these facilities are in Rep. Pillich's district. Tours like this are arranged by BioOhio and Colby & Company, BioOhio's government relations counsel, to connect state legislators with bioscience companies in their districts. More legislative visits are scheduled this fall.
Federal
BioOhio continues to work with Ohio’s Congressional delegation and Senators to urge bioscience-friendly policy decisions. Among the issues BioOhio has advocated for are: “bio-similars” legislation that protects innovators and patients; patent reform; workforce development; and preserving innovation under health care reform. BioOhio will make another trek to Washington D.C. this fall to advocate for industry-driven workforce development and biomanufacturing transition funds. BioOhio will also continue to follow the health care debate to ensure that innovation is a priority.
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BioOhio to administer Ohio Third Frontier internships
BioOhio was one of 12 organizations recently chosen to serve as brokers of Ohio Third Frontier Internship Program funds in Fiscal Year 2010. These organizations are responsible for matching students in their geographic region or with a specific industry. BioOhio will focus on bioscience internship matches for students and companies throughout the state.
Initially BioOhio will administer 26 internship slots, which equates to $78,000 in intern wages.
Established in 2002, the Ohio Third Frontier Internship Program links Ohio college students with rewarding internship opportunities that provide hands-on experience within Ohio's private sector business community. The Program's goal is to build a young, talented workforce for the future and assist students in gaining valuable work experiences that can lead to permanent full-time employment in Ohio after graduation.
The Ohio Third Frontier Internship Program will reimburse up to 50 percent of the intern's wage, or up to $3,000, for a 12-month period. Students of at least a sophomore level who are majoring in math, science, or engineering are eligible for program participation. Following an intern's graduation, the business partnering firm will have the opportunity to offer full-time employment to an individual who is well-prepared for a future career with the organization.
“Our industry sector has experienced significant and continued growth over the past five years,” said BioOhio’s Bill Tacon. “This program allows us to actively support that growth by channeling Ohio talent to where it is most needed. In fact we already have a waiting list of companies looking to take advantage of this.”
The Ohio Department of Development has scheduled a kick-off meeting for the internship organizations on September 15.
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Ohio Bioscience News Briefs
BioOhio’s Bill Tacon named to Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation board... Bill Tacon, BioOhio senior director of workforce and education, has been selected by The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation to serve a two-year term on its Board of Directors effective January 1, 2010. Tacon leads BioOhio’s statewide strategy to build a world-class bioscience workforce infrastructure aligned with industry needs.
A new BioOhio team member... In May, Drew Cook joined BioOhio as data coordinator and quickly immersed himself in the development of the new Ohio Bioscience Resource Directory, a launch that will be announced very soon. Drew received his undergraduate degree from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.
6th issue of Accelerating Excellence magazine... In May BioOhio published the sixth edition of its annual magazine, Accelerating Excellence. BioOhio produces Accelerating Excellence as a vehicle for stories that support and illustrate Ohio’s strength in the biosciences. This year’s issue tells Ohio’s “State of Perfect Balance” story through the “work:life balance” stories of four very successful bioscience industry leaders. Another article explains why Ohio is among the best locations to take bioscience products to market. We also share very timely updates from our state’s diverse regions and from BioOhio’s most influential and supportive members. Check out the interactive digital issue:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/e561deae#/e561deae/1.
Welcoming more members... We’ve always said that our members benefit from a growing membership base, and that is certainly happening in 2009. Check out our newest additions to the family!
Astro Manufacturing and Design
Daychem Laboratories, Inc.
Pharma-GPS, LLC
Sensor Development Corporation
QED
Abstract Displays, Inc.
E-BEAM Services, Inc.
AcuTemp Thermal Systems
Performance Validation
G2G Consulting, LLC
Cryogenic Equipment & Services Inc.
Lakeside Solutions
Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates, Inc.
BioForum
Hydrosol System, Inc.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals N.A.
ADELSYS, Inc.
DimcoGray
NaviGo Research, Inc.
eMerge Health Solutions
Community Research
BioSciEssence, LLC
Skoda Minotti
Summa Health System
Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA)
SciComPro-LLC
Proxy Biomedical Inc.
Northwestern Local School District
Thomas Burke
Jeffrey Jones
Yingli Wolinsky
Joe Deak
View the full member list
here. BioOhio is Ohio's only statewide bioscience membership and development organization. To learn more about membership,
check this out or call 614/675-3686, x1004.
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Eventful happenings this fall
In addition to the uber-cool BioOhio Annual Conference (Sept. 30 & Oct. 1), other noteworthy events:
- Advancements in Stem Cell Research Luncheon with Dr. Vincent Pompili, Sept. 18 at the Blackwell Hotel in Columbus. Sponsored by TechColumbus.
- The Cleveland Clinic’s 7th Annual Medical Innovation Summit, Oct. 5-7 at the InterContinental Hotel, Cleveland. This year’s theme is “Improving the Prognosis: Cancer Cures through Innovation.”
- Ohio State's 2nd Annual Personalized Health Care National Conference, Oct. 1-2 at the OSU Medical Center.
- AdvaMed 2009 Conference in Washington D.C., Oct. 12-14. BioOhio members qualify for special $895 member registration rate through Sept. 14. Email
mschutte@BioOhio.com for details.
For more info on these and other Ohio bioscience events:
www.bioohio.com/news/Events-Calendar.aspx.