Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue to speak at Triad BioNight celebration tonight
GREENSBORO, N.C., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Advisory Committee for
Biotechnology in the Piedmont Triad will formally release 21 strategic
recommendations for strengthening the industry during the Triad BioNight
reception and awards banquet tonight at the O. Henry Hotel.
The advisory committee, a group of more than two dozen academic and
industry leaders working with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, drafted
the recommendations to work in tandem with Gov. Mike Easley's plan New Jobs
Across North Carolina: A Strategic Plan for Growing the Economy Statewide
Through Biotechnology.
"A statewide plan for biotechnology is in effect, and now a strong plan
has taken shape that is tailored to the Piedmont Triad region's needs and
effort," said Russ Read, vice chair of the advisory committee and executive
director for the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce at Forsyth
Technical Community College. "As a part of the larger concerted effort, this
is a most significant accomplishment for the region and for the continuing
effort of biotechnology economic promotion for all of North Carolina."
The advisory committee's 21 recommendations call for:
- Creating a regional directory of goods manufactured by local
biotechnology companies;
- Building a database of available wet lab space;
- Forming a legislative team to monitor the Triad's biotechnology
priorities;
- Collecting economic and academic data from primary and secondary data
sources;
- Hosting a reception dinner to showcase the Triad's biotechnology
community;
- Partnering with the Council of Entrepreneurial Development to host
Biotech 2006;
- Developing national and regional public relations and advertising
campaigns extolling the virtues of the Triad's biotechnology community;
- Marketing agricultural biotechnology;
- Creating intellectual exchange groups based on scientific topics;
- Operating databases of university research and intellectual property
assets;
- Providing more interaction between the Triad's universities and
industry members;
- Developing innovative training and career programs;
- Creating a Translational Research Center for the central nervous system
and behavioral sciences;
- Promoting community college programs and develop new ones based on
industry feedback;
- Determining recruiting needs and the alliances needed to bring renowned
researchers to the Triad;
- Creating financial packages to support recruitment efforts;
- Forming a welcoming committee for new clients;
- Providing affordable, short-term office/lab space by creating a "wet-
lab hotel";
- Creating low-cost office space for foreign countries to place a
regional liaison;
- Forming a team with local partners to recruit contract manufacturing
companies;
- Attracting entrepreneurs to develop businesses around the region's
Centers of Excellence like the Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
The recommendations reflect about 18 months of work for the advisory
committee.
"Through efforts such as those of the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology
in the Piedmont Triad, we are building a community to support biotechnology
that has few equals nationally or internationally," said Committee Chair Dr.
Rosemary Wander, associate provost for research at the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro.
The next step, said Gwyn Riddick, director of the Piedmont Triad Office of
the Biotechnology Center, is for six project teams appointed by the advisory
committee to begin implementing the 21 recommendations in concert with partner
organizations in the Piedmont Triad.
One of the recommendations will come to fruition tonight when the
Biotechnology Center and 29 other sponsors host the Triad BioNight
celebration, at the O. Henry Hotel, 624 Green Valley Road, in Greensboro,
starting at 6 p.m.
The event will feature a keynote address by Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue on
biotechnology and the new economy and a networking reception and awards
banquet for the Piedmont Triad's biotechnology community. Other speakers will
include Don deBethizy, CEO of Targacept; biotechnology entrepreneur Max
Wallace, chairman of the Innovation Foundation and president of The Arbor
Group; and Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Center.
In addition, Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-Salem Chamber of
Commerce, will give an update on the Triad's biotechnology assessment and
index project.
Five awards will be given to honor the work of key leaders in the Piedmont
Triad's biotechnology community. The awards, and their recipients, are:
- Research and Development Excellence: Anthony Atala, M.D., director,
Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and chair, Department of Urology,
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Entrepreneurial Excellence: Roland H. Johnson, president & CEO,
Piedmont Pharmaceuticals
- Academic Development Excellence: Gary M. Green, Ed.D., president, and
Lucas Shallua, D.Sc., biotechnology program coordinator, Forsyth
Technical Community College
- Piedmont Biotechnology Community Leadership Excellence: Gwyn Riddick,
director, Piedmont Triad Office, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
- Biotechnology Service and Support Excellence: Bill Dean, president,
!dealliance
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, headquartered in Research
Triangle Park with satellite offices in Winston-Salem and Asheville, is a
state-supported, non-profit corporation. Its mission is to provide long-term
economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology
research, business and education statewide.
SOURCE North Carolina Biotechnology Center
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Related links:
http://www.ncbiotech.org
CONTACT:
Gwyn Riddick, Piedmont Triad office director,
+1-336-725-6671, or gwyn_riddick@ncbiotech.org , or Barry Teater,
director of corporate communications, +1-919-541-9366, or
barry_teater@ncbiotech.org , both of North Carolina Biotechnology
Center
NOTE TO EDITORS: Please refrain from revealing the names of the
award winners until after the awards ceremony. The recipients
are presently unaware of their awards.
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