Boulder Economic Summit looks at industries of the future

CBSA Interim Executive Director Denise Brown is among the presenters at Wednesday's Boulder Economic summit. She was included in today's article in the Boulder Daily Camera. Quoting Brown from Alicia Wallace's article:

"Colorado continues to outpace the national average when it comes to growth in both new companies and employment across the diverse bioscience industry, said Denise Brown, interim executive director for the Colorado BioScience Association.

'We're certainly holding our own,' she said.

Such positive indicators could bode well for Boulder, the traditional 'hub' of the industry, she said. Boulder County leads other Colorado counties in employment in the industry's two sub-sectors, medical devices and pharmaceuticals/biotechnology, according to a recent report released by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

About 42 percent of Colorado's pharmaceutical and biotechnology workers and 28 percent of medical devices and instruments workers are employed in Boulder County, according to the report.

'(Boulder) has proven to be a great place for more mature companies like Covidien and Amgen, because of the available work force,' Brown said.

Colorado and the Boulder region also are becoming more known for early-stage companies in the areas of cancer therapeutics and cardiology therapeutics and vaccines. Separately, she added, mid-sized companies such as GlobeImmune are experiencing growth.

Brown said she expects Colorado's bioscience future to remain in the research and development space, adding that companies formed here should continue to grow from the early stages to become a $500-million-to-$700-million firm that becomes attractive to the large, national companies.

'That's a great place for Colorado to be,' she said. "It's really where the innovation is for the industry.'"

Link to the Daily Camera article

Governor signs executive order to fund bioscience

"Members from the bioscience community met at the capital yesterday as Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. pledged his commitment to finding private venture capitalists to invest in the bioscience industries of Colorado.

The governor signed an executive order that creates an advisory committee on venture capital investment in the areas of aerospace, bioscience, renewable energy, and information communication technology. The committee will have 17 members appointed by the governor.
Colorado ranked 11th in bioscience venture capital investments between 2002 and 2007, and Ritter hopes the advisory committee will elevate that ranking in the near future."

Link to the Denver Daily News article

Ritter issues executive orders to encourage venture capital investment

"Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed a pair of executive orders Thursday designed to encourage venture capital investment in the state’s bioscience, clean energy, aerospace and information communication technology startups."


Link to the DBJ posting

Governor Bill Ritter, Jr, signs executive orders assisting Colorado's bioscience industry

The CBSA gathered May 27 at the Colorado State Capitol to witness the signing of two Executive Orders by Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., benefitting the state's bioscience industry. Denise Brown, CBSA's Interim Executive Director, spoke on behalf of the CBSA. In a program prior to the signing, CBSA Board Member Jim Linfield, Cooley LLP, provided the program: "Hot Button Issues in Bioscience: Health Care Reform and Financing Constraints."

Link to the video of Denise Brown's remarks.

Link to the video of Governor Ritter's remarks.

Link to video of Jim Linfield's presentation (part 1 of 5).

Business Wire Release: http://ow.ly/1S9ge

Denver Post Showcases Burgeoning Bioscience Infrastructure

May 25: CU bolsters biotech with new building: New $145 million facility could revolutionize research

"A crane hoists materials up to the skeletal third floor of a revolutionary research facility under construction on the University of Colorado's east campus. When it opens in November 2011, the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building will allow faculty and students to collaborate on fundamental research in new ways."

Link to the article by Ann Schrader

May 26: University Hospital plans $400 million expansion on Aurora campus

"University of Colorado Hospital is planning a $400 million expansion on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora that will bring 1,000 permanent new jobs to the area. Meanwhile, the hospital also is planning a $20 million expansion of the University of Colorado Cancer Center."

Link to the article by Margaret Jackson

May 25, 2010: People On The Move

"COLORADO BIOSCIENCE ASSOCIATION appointed the following people to its board of directors: Denise Brown, DM Brown LLC; Betty Iverson, Johnson & Johnson; Ruth Lytle-Barnaby, Poudre Valley Health System Foundation; Nick Saccamono, SomaLogic; Chris Smith, Cochlear; Will Vaughn, Colorado School of Mines; Jim Wilson, Ernst & Young; Dan Wittenberg, Snell & Wilmer; and Michael Weiner, Dorsey & Whitney."

Link to the Denver Post website

Colorado BioScience Assn's May BioBreakfast Focused on Two Colorado Success Stories

CBSA’s May BioBreakfast allowed two of Colorado’s 2009 Bioscience success stories to share their stories.

First up was Paul Beresford of Biodesix.

Dr. Tim Rodell of GlobeImmune presented next.

Link to the Rocky Radar recap.

Colorado Gov Bill Ritter helps open $53 million Research Innovation Ctr on Colo State University Foothills campus

"University and government officials came together to celebrate the public unveiling of Colorado State University's Research Innovation Center.

The 72,000-square-foot facility on the Foothills Campus will serve university researchers as well as private companies in the biomedical field. It features state-of-the-art bioscience laboratories as well as office space, a portion of which will be set aside as a business incubator for lease by CSU startups and existing businesses.

The hope is to extend CSU's infectious disease supercluster by partnering the public and private sector scientists and embedding business development teams with the researchers. The goal, CSU President Tony Frank explained, is to shorten the time from laboratory to market for the groundbreaking research and discoveries being made at the university. Frank added that he expects this facility to be the first of several for CSU, with other research centers dedicated to the other superclusters in clean energy and cancer."

Link to Northern Colorado Business Report: http://www.ncbr.com/article.asp?id=51554

Link to Fort Collins Coloradoan: http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20100512/NEWS01/5120320

Link to KUNC - NPR/Community Radio for Northern Colorado (includes audio report): http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kunc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1648489/Regional/Governor.Helps.Open.New.CSU.Innovation.Center

Colorado BioScience Association Showcases Colorado's Bioscience Industry at BIO 2010 Conference In Chicago

Colorado, with the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) in the lead role, will be heavily represented at the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) International Convention, May 3-6 in Chicago. The announcement is made by Denise Brown, CBSA Interim Executive Director, who says the event will allow Colorado to showcase the exciting bioscience research and discoveries taking place here and provides an opportunity to share the positive features the state has to offer relocating companies.

"This will be the seventh year that representatives from Colorado have attended the conference, but this year Colorado’s presence will be greater than ever," Brown explains. "The Colorado Pavilion, located in booth #1426 of the Exhibit Hall area, includes a number of companies and partners helping to grow the bioscience industry in the state. As these companies can attest, the momentum of the industry in the Colorado, driven by leading research institutions, investors, and the support of the State government, is truly remarkable. On Tuesday evening, Roche Colorado Corporation and the CBSA will celebrate their partnership during a hospitality reception in The Colorado Pavilion focusing on the state’s success in the biosciences."

Of note, CBSA is debuting its 2010 Bioscience Colorado magazine at BIO - link to the pdf: http://ow.ly/1CCi6. Plus, Colorado is featured for the fourth time in a European Life Science Journal bylined article (go to page 64 in the pdf): http://ow.ly/1EHPD.

Link to the Business Wire release