Washington Watch: the debt ceiling and deficit debate in DC

Clouds over the Capitol.  Photo by Erin Donahue c. AZBioThere has been a lot of talk about budgets and debt ceilings in Washington this week. The negotiations – now taking place between the President and Congressional leaders are fluid, closely held, and difficult to predict. It does not take a PhD to know that Medicare and Medicaid cuts are on the table.

At AZBIO we stay in close communication with our partners at BIO, PhRMA, and AdvaMed so that we can share the latest news with our members.Continue reading

BIO Praises House Passage of Patent Reform Legislation

Press Release from BIO:  The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act will benefit all sectors of U.S. economy

congressWashington, D.C. (June 23, 2011) – Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood released the following statement on the passage of The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, H.R. 1249, by the House of Representatives:
“Small biotechnology companies rely heavily on their patents to attract investment to fund the lengthy and expensive research and development process necessary to bring breakthrough medical therapies and other products to patients and consumers. Strong intellectual property protection is critical for these companies.

“The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act will bring our patent system into the 21st century. The improvements made by the bill will benefit all sectors of the national economy by enhancing patent quality and the efficiency, objectivity, predictability and transparency of the U.S. patent system.

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AdvaMed 2011 Issues Call for Company Presentations

Innovative medical technology companies in all stages of development are eligible to apply to make a 9-minute business development presentation during AdvaMed 2011: The MedTech Conference. The conference will take place in Washington D.C., at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, September 26-28, and the deadline to apply to present to strategic partners, venture capital firms and angel investors is July 11.Continue reading

Are you ready for investment?

It’s hard to grow without the right resources.  It takes more than a great idea and passion.  You need the right team, access to partners access marketing and manufacturing resources and so much more and that takes capital.  But accessing the right money is one of the most challenging tasks any entrepreneur will tackle.

Invest Southwest and the Venture Capital Conference in the Rockies (VCIR) are partnering together to form the premier capital conference in the Southwest.  This year’s event connects the region’s most promising startups and emerging growth companies with an audience of hundreds of venture investors, entrepreneurs and service professionals.  Investors and venture capitalists from all over the globe will gather to see the “Best of the Southwest” present their business plans and investment opportunities.  Presenting companies of Invest Southwest have received more than a quarter billion in investment dollars since the inception in 1992 and companies that have presented at VCIR over the past 10 years have collectively generated nearly $5 billion in exit value for their stakeholders.

In November, investors and venture capitalists from across the country will gather at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix to see the “Best of the Southwest” present their business plans and investment opportunities.Continue reading

Looking Back and Looking Forward

During his 5-year tenure leading at the University of Arizona, President Robert Shelton created both an impressive tenure and laid the foundation for a  lasting legacy.  Shelton will depart the UA at the end of next month, having served five years as the institution’s 19th president. He will become executive director of the Fiesta Bowl, beginning August 1, 2011.   Read more here.

Thank you President Shelton for your  commitment to the U of A, to our bioscience  community and to our state.Continue reading

First Things First

In an industry like ours, doing things in the right order matters.  It does not matter of you are working in the lab, biz dev or the front office.  When you forget to put first things first you might not get the outcome you expect…or need.

At AZBio we have been investing our time in research.  For us that means getting out of the office and into the  community to talk to Members, create opportunities to connect and to listen to what they have to say.  Whether we are are in one-on-one visits to Members and their companies, meetings at the GPEC, The Desert Angels or BCLSA or hanging out with the AZBio Gang at Beer and Bio, we’ve been asking questions and gathering data on what you, our members want and need.   So far this research has led to some new developments and there are a lot more coming,  Here are FIVE important things you said…Continue reading

AZBio News – April and May 2011

Green and lean: Secreting bacteria eliminate cost  barriers for renewable biofuel production

Kinetic Muscles, Inc. Celebrates 10 year anniversary

Yulex names Jim Mitchell COO by Angela Gonzales, Phoenix Business Journal

Laura Gonzalez selected for Phoenix Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under 40’ honors

ISO 13485 Certification Achieved by Regenesis Biomedical

Dr. David Eberhard joins Flagship as Chief Medical Pathologist

University of Minnesota licenses multiplexing software to Flagship Biosciences

Deadline for NCI SBIR and STTR 2011 Omnibus Solicitation proposals is August 5, 2011

Small Business Innovation ResearchThe National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs, one of the largest sources of early-stage technology financing in the United States, have several funding opportunities available to small businesses and research institutions.  Below are details for the funding opportunities that have upcoming deadlines:

The 2011 Omnibus Solicitation is an investigator-initiated grant funding opportunity that enables small businesses to apply for funding across a wide range of cancer related topic areas. U.S. small businesses with the research capabilities and technological expertise described in the Omnibus Solicitation are encouraged to submit investigator-initiated SBIR & STTR grant applications for the identified topics. The next deadline for receipt of NCI SBIR & STTR 2011 Omnibus Solicitation proposals is August 5, 2011.Continue reading

AZ Technology Workforce Survey Needs Your Input

A message from the Arizona Technology Council and its partners

It’s a commonly heard complaint among Arizona high-technology employers: we can’t find enough right-skilled workers to meet our needs.  Yet the state’s educational institutions and training agencies say they produce lots of that talent.

Getting to the bottom of that discrepancy – and really understanding whether there is a gap between demand for and supply of technology workers in Arizona – is the aim behind a comprehensive study that the Arizona Technology Council and its partners have commissioned.Continue reading