Denver Post: 'Colorado in running for U.S. patent satellite office'

Quoting from today's Denver Post article by Allison Sherry - @allisonsherry - on the 'Bring A Patent Office To Colorado' initiative:

"Holli Riebel, president of the Colorado BioScience Association, helped marshal signatures and support within her field for the office.

'Many times, things go to the coasts and they don't go to the middle of the country,' she said. 'I think there's a huge market that could be drawn from the middle. It's an easy place for everyone to get to, and we do have an international airport.'"

Link to the Denver Post article

View the related video:
http://youtu.be/xKW6j33EipQ

Link to the news release: 'Colorado Business Leaders Unveil New Report Making the Case for Patent Office in Denver'

This Thursday: Colorado's 'BioScience Day at the Capitol'

Colorado BioScience Association will host the fourth annual “BioScience Day at the Capitol” on Thursday, February 2nd, 7:30-9:00 a.m. at the Legislative Services Building, A, 14th & Sherman (South side of Capitol). The event will bring together industry leaders and legislators to support the growth of bioscience in Colorado.

Agenda for BioScience Day at the Capitol:

* 8:00-8:10 a.m. – Welcome by Holli Riebel, President and CEO, CBSA

* 8:10-8:40 a.m. – Legislators discuss the 2012 session and their vision for the bioscience industry

Representative Cheri Gerou - Overview of the 2012 Budget
Speaker of the House, Representative Frank McNulty
Senate President Brandon Shaffer

* 8:40-9:00 a.m. – Federal Legislation Presentation by Jason Sapsin, Polsinelli Shughart

This year CBSA will build upon one of its most successful years in its history, making impressive strides in the areas of industry advocacy, programming, marketing communications, membership and education. CBSA was instrumental in the development and passage of House Bill 1283 and Senate Bill 47 retaining and further funding Colorado's Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program. Other legislative success included passing of Senate Bill 159, distribution of the state's share of limited gaming revenue.

Link to the Business Wire release

Link to the PitchEngine social media release

CBSA January FOCUS Newsletter: Featuring Fitzsimons Bioscience Park's $8 Million Expansion and a Sneak Peek at CBSA's Plans for the Upcoming Year

Quoting CBSA President & CEO Holli Riebel:

"As we kick off the New Year at CBSA we are thankful for a great 2011 and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead in 2012. Our community's spirit of innovation and history of success continues to push the bioscience industry forward. CBSA's strategic goals for the year are to:

* Promote a supportive regulatory and tax environment at the state and federal level.
* Increase access to capital.
* Brand Colorado's innovation in the bioscience industry.
* Enhance programs and services for our members.
* Create a bioscience community that fosters growth.

A feature detailing the $8 million expansion of the Fitzsimons Bioscience Park is on page 2.

Link to the January FOCUS newsletter

Denver Business Journal: 'VC-backed startups now free to chase SBIR grant money'

Quoting CBSA board members Mark Spiecker and Rick Duke in Greg Avery's article:

"The change will be particularly helpful to many early-stage bioscience companies in Colorado, making them eligible for a program that’s awarded $16 billion in grants since 1997.

'Everybody’s writing SBIR grants or counting on them in one way or another,' said Mark Spiecker, co-founder of Sharklet Technologies.

The Aurora-based startup has survived on SBIR grants that pay for its research into a bacteria-fighting surface coating for medical uses, a technology inspired by the bacteria-fighting properties of shark skin. But that meant limiting the involvement of VC investors.

Sharklet landed $1.2 million in SBIR grants in early 2011. Without them, the company would have shut down, Spiecker said. Sharklet’s pursuing more SBIR grants under the new rules...

...For more established biotechs, the old SBIR ban limited their ability to research new uses for their technologies, said Rick Duke, a veteran biotech entrepreneur who helps run the Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development (CID4), a nonprofit incubator for biotech companies.

Now a biotech can use for SBIR grants for research to broaden the number of products the company’s developing, while investors fund getting the first product to market. That should help companies grow faster and be stronger, and speed the development of new medicines.

'It’s helpful from the point of view of continuing to be innovative among companies that are funded with venture capital,' Duke said."

Link to the article that also quoted Cartier Esham, BIO’s senior director on health regulations for emerging companies (subscription required for full article access)

GEN: 'Cities are trying to attract more talent and incentives to meet demands of the life science industry."

Quoting from the January 3rd article by Alex Philippidis:

"Denver anchors a growing Colorado biopharma effort that will see the state divert part of the corporate sales taxes collected from biotech and cleantech companies between 2013 and 2023 to help fund startups in those industries under a law enacted in May by Gov. John Hickenlooper (D). Bio startups also saw welcome news earlier this month when the Fitzsimmons Redevelopment Authority announced plans for an $8 million, 37,000 sq. ft. “accelerator” space within its Bioscience Park for companies past the incubator stage."

Link to GEN

Coloradoan: 'CSU chemistry prof honored by CBSA'

Quoting from the December 13th news brief:

"The Colorado Bioscience Association recently recognized Melissa Reynolds, assistant chemistry professor, as Educator of the Year.

This is Reynolds' second major award in the past year. In 2010, the Boettcher Foundation named Reynolds as one of only six inaugural Boettcher Investigators as part of the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Pro-gram, which helps recruit, retain and advance scientific talent in Colorado. She was the only one from Colorado State named that year."

Link to the Coloradoan

2011 Boettcher Investigators Introduced to Colorado Bioscience Community

The 2011 class of Boettcher Investigators was introduced to Colorado's Bioscience Community at the Colorado BioScience Association's Annual Awards Dinner celebration, December 8, in Denver. Timothy Schulz, Boettcher Foundation Executive Director, made the presentation, along with Ted White, chair of the Boettcher Foundation Board of Trustees.

The 2011 Boettcher Investigators include: Tingting, Yao, Ph.D., Colorado State University; Zhe Chen, Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder; Jing Wang, M.D., Ph.D., University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Robert Doebele, M.D., Ph.D., University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; and John D. (Nick) Fisk, Ph.D., Colorado State University. Video of the presentation follows:


http://youtu.be/ub8azy2KG8M