UMBC recently earned accolades in three college ranking reports.
The Online College Database recognized the high salaries of UMBC graduates in its list of most affordable colleges. The website used data from the ”2012-2013 PayScale College Salary Report” to rank UMBC as having the second-highest post-graduation starting salary of colleges in Maryland with annual tuition under $20,000. According to the report, the average starting salary of a UMBC graduate is $50,300.
Sources inform “Globes” that AstraZeneca plc (NYSE; LSE; OMX: AZN) has teamed with Israeli real estate company Minrav Holdings Ltd. (tase:MNRV) to bid in the Office of the Chief Scientist’s biotechnology incubator tender. AstraZeneca will handle the consortium’s professional side, and Minrav will be responsible for financing.
The AstraZeneca-Minrav consortium is bidding against a consortium of OrbiMed Israel and the venture capital arms of Johnson & Johnson JNJ and Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.
The University of Maryland has named Brian Darmody associate vice president for corporate and foundation relations. In this newly-created role, Darmody is charged with leading essential university-wide efforts to develop strategic partnerships between the University of Maryland and the corporate and foundation community.
“Throughout Brian’s 30-year career with the university, he has proven to be the perfect candidate to lead this new charge,” says UMD Vice President for University Relations Peter Weiler. “His unparalleled ability to develop and nurture mutually beneficial relationships for the university has been integral over the years, and we look forward to the leadership he will bring to this new role.”
Taking the helm of EFPIA, Viehbacher says R&D and innovation are the keys to rescuing Europe from its economic slump, but more harmonization across the pharmaceutical sector will be needed too.
Venture capital-backed initial public offerings more than doubled during the second quarter from the previous quarter and rose 90% from a year earlier, with 21 companies raising a combined $2.2 billion during their stock-market debuts, driven by the highest number of biotech venture-backed IPOs in nearly 13 years, according to Thomson Reuters Corp. (TRI, TRI.T) and the National Venture Capital Association.
During the quarter, 13 of the offerings were in the life-sciences sector, representing 62% of the total. Biotech offerings, at 11 deals, marked the highest level since the third quarter of 2000, when 13 companies went public.
The venture capital industry is getting rightsized, with less capital raised and deployed, smaller funds, fewer active venture capital firms, and more regulation. The exit climate has picked up, but is still not at the level required. And valuations are overall more rational, with some exceptions at the later stages or in consumer-facing momentum companies.
However, with the confluence of not one but four big market drivers (discussed below), and the rise of a new technology cycle, we think this is still a great time to be a venture capitalist or entrepreneur.
The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
NIH Guide Notice:
NOT-EB-13-002: Notice To Extend PAR-10-234 Bioengineering Research Partnerships (BRP) (R01)
The purpose of this notice is to extend PAR-10-234 “Bioengineering Research Partnerships (BRP) (R01),” which supports partnerships for basic, applied, and translational multi-disciplinary research that addresses important biological, clinical or biomedical research problems. The new expiration date is January 8, 2014.
NOT-RM-13-022: Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for the NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory – Demonstration Projects for Pragmatic Clinical Trials Focusing on Multiple Chronic Conditions (UH2/UH3)
The National Institutes of Health, Office of Strategic Coordination intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for Demonstration Projects for Pragmatic Clinical Trials focusing on the management of multiple chronic conditions, to be conducted as part of the NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory.
Requests for Applications (RFAs):
RFA-CA-13-008: Person-Centered Outcomes Research Resource (U2C)
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support the creation of a research resource infrastructure for the administration of research investigations using person-centered health outcomes, further referred to as the Person-Centered Outcomes Research Resource (PCORR).
RFA-OD-13-010: Tobacco Control Regulatory Research (R21)
The purpose of this FOA is to encourage biomedical, behavioral, and social science research that will inform the development and evaluation of regulations on tobacco product manufacturing, distribution, and marketing.
RFA-OD-13-011: Tobacco Control Regulatory Research (R01)
The purpose of this FOA is to encourage biomedical, behavioral, and social science research that will inform the development and evaluation of regulations on tobacco product manufacturing, distribution, and marketing.
RFA-OD-13-012: Tobacco Control Regulatory Research (R03)
The purpose of this FOA is to encourage biomedical, behavioral, and social science research that will inform the development and evaluation of regulations on tobacco product manufacturing, distribution, and marketing.
Governor Martin O’Malley announced today that the State, through the BioMaryland Center, has awarded nearly $1 million to five innovative life sciences companies through its Biotechnology Development Awards program. The companies, which received up to $200,000 each, will use the funding to advance the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, create a less-invasive treatment for tachycardia patients, enhance animal analgesics, control traumatic bleeds and develop high-quality gluten and allergen-free kosher food products.
“These companies are developing products that are changing the way we feed, fuel and heal our planet and have the potential to impact millions of patients around the world,” said Governor O’Malley. “These awards are critical to ensuring that the life-saving research being done here in Maryland has the opportunity to move to the commercial marketplace.”
Integrated BioTherapeutics (IBT) and Stanford University have been jointly awarded a $300,000 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. The goal of the grant is to develop a highly effective immunotherapeutic to prevent Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) reinfection in liver transplant patients based on antibodies that limit the ability of the virus to escape treatment via mutations.
Up to 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HCV, putting infected individuals at significant risk for cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Chronic infection is poorly controlled by current antiviral treatments though there is new optimism with two recent FDA-approved direct acting antivirals, telaprevir and boceprevir. These drugs, however, are not recommended in the transplant setting due to likely adverse drug-drug interactions.
Baltimore City’s Emerging Technology Centers (ETC) is pleased to announce that two of its client companies were recently honored at the 13th Annual 2013 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year (ICOY) Awards. Curiosityville was chosen “Best Education Technology Company” and ADASHI was chosen “Best New Incubator Company” by the judging panel of venture capitalists, government officials and business leaders.
“The Curiosityville team is thrilled to have been selected for this award,” said Susan Magsamen, CEO of Curiosityville. “Part of the credit must go to our affiliation with the ETC their assistance has helped allow us to focus on building the business.”
