We have a few critical updates for you as well as news on many other issues. How about breaking the DoD SBIR program out from the others and making it permanent? How about breaking the DoD services (Army, Navy Air Force) out from under the OSD? We’ve got this and much more for you.
BALTIMORE, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the School of Medicine (UM SOM) plans to establish a major new Institute for Global Health (IGH), bringing together decades of UM SOM research, treatment and vaccine development around the world, and expanding the School’s platform as the premier, leading center for global health research, treatment and prevention. The new Institute will focus on vaccine development and malaria research, and will house the UM SOM’s reconfigured Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) as well as a newly-formed Center for Malaria Research (CMR).
Johns Hopkins University is set to open a new branch of FastForward in East Baltimore. The incubator’s new location, called FastForward East, is located in a building just north of the university’s medical campus, at the corner of Wolfe and Ashland Streets. The original FastForward space, near JHU’s Homewood campus, is currently at capacity with 12 startups. FastForward also runs an accelerator program, which has helped 41 startups. University officials have openly acknowledged that JHU lags behind other universities of similar stature when it comes to tech transfer. The expanding physical space offers the university the chance to nurture companies that have grown directly out research at the university, and become a more visible player in the local startup scene.
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline announced plans Thursday to open a new vaccine research center in Rockville by this fall, a project that could bring up to 700 new jobs to Montgomery County. The center — at the site of the former Human Genome Sciences, which Glaxo acquired in 2012 for $3.6 billion — would combine two Glaxo research facilities on the East Coast and is expected to employ 1,000 people by 2016, a company spokeswoman said.
M&A may seem hot in the life sciences, but that and IPO activity is starting to cool across all sectors, according to a new report from the National Venture Capital Association. The first quarter of 2015 saw less than 20 venture-backed IPOs since the first quarter of 2013. Independent of sector, when it comes to deal size, this quarter was the slowest in M&A since the first quarter of 2013. But the bulk of the IPOs completed were, of course, in the life sciences – 13 of the 17 exits were in the medical and biotech sectors.
The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology trade association, today announced the finalists for its 27th Annual Industry Awards. Winners will be revealed at a celebration on May 13 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. This year, the Industry Awards Celebration recognizes the achievements that inspiration can bring. Achievements in technology and life sciences that were nurtured locally, and grew to have a global impact.
Katie Kirsch did not expect a move to Baltimore. Wrapped in a pashmina scarf in Baltimore’s Harbor East, she sips her chai and shrugs her shoulders, “We were destination agnostic.” Kirsch is the chief marketing officer of Sisu Global Health, a startup that creates medical devices for emerging markets. Sisu got its start in Grand Rapids, Mich., but acceptance into DreamIt Ventures’ Baltimore Health IT accelerator had them pick up and move east.
For University of Maryland researchers, the last year has marked a series of new discoveries and innovations: a revolutionary nanopore battery with high storage capabilities, a language aptitude measuring system, and a national food safety database to improve safety measures in retail establishments, just to name a few. UMD will honor nine nominees for the most promising new inventions at the Celebration of Innovation and Partnerships event on April 29, held as part of the University of Maryland’s ’30 Days of EnTERPreneurship,’ a month-long celebration and exhibition of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Establishes centralized vaccines research and development center in Rockville
GSK, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, announced today that they are expanding their operations in Rockville with the establishment of a centralized vaccines R&D facility.
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) named today 12 finalists in the InvestMaryland Challenge (IMC), the State’s international business competition. The Challenge brings together startup companies from a variety of industries with investors, advisors, successful entrepreneurs and other established members of Maryland’s entrepreneurial community. There are three finalists in each of four categories — Life Sciences, IT, Defense & Security, and Sustainability & Exploration. The winner of each will win a $100,000 top prize from the State’s Maryland Venture Fund. InvestMaryland Challenge partners have contributed another $300,000 in prizes that will be awarded to others in the field of 214 applicants. Winners of all awards will be announced April 28 at an event at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore.
