News Archive

To attend a NICE/UKTI Scientific Advice Seminar for developers of devices and diagnostics.

Learn how to prepare for an evaluation by NICE, the UK’s health technology assessment body.

The seminar will cover:

• “Value” from the perspective of NICE
• How value propositions link to the need for specific evidence
• The types of evidence considered by NICE
• The general principles of health technology assessment (HTA)
• Advantages of doing business in the UK

Who should attend?

• Developers of medical technologies, in particular SMEs
• Investors in the field of medical technologies
• Anyone new to the world of health technology assessment
• Academics, scientists, or clinicians who want to know more about how NICE assesses the value of innovative products

The seminar program is funded by UKTI to allow you free event registration (standard event rate – $550)

It has been said that there is no money for start-ups here. NOT TRUE! Montgomery County is proud to shine the spotlight on local success stories from our business community.

During 2013 and through this year, Montgomery County businesses from targeted growth sectors have received local and state investments to support their ongoing growth and success. From grants, loans and tax credit incentives, to targeted funding programs and competitive investment awards, local companies are proving they have what it takes and continue to contribute to the growth of the innovative economy in Montgomery County.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and University of Maryland, College Park will work with MITRE Corp. on a new cyber security research and development center in Montgomery County.

McLean, Va.-based MITRE was selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for a $29 million award to operate a new federally funded research and development center dedicated to cyber security. The center will be housed at the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Montgomery County.

The University of Maryland is building a new computing network intended to provide local scientists with high-speed access to data centers, the university announced last week.

Mid-Atlantic Crossroads, a network operated by the state’s flagship university, plans to partner with Bytegrid, a McLean-based data center company.

The University Economic Development Association (UEDA) announced its 2014 Awards of Excellence winners during its Annual Summit held this week in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Awards of Excellence Program recognizes UEDA members who are transforming their campuses into engines of economic prosperity through leading edge initiatives in five categories:

1. Community Connected Campus: initiatives that promote the physical development of quality connected campuses and their surrounding communities;
2. Research and Analysis: initiatives that enhance the capacity of colleges and universities to provide new forms of research and tools for community, economic and workforce development practitioners;
3. Leadership and Collaboration: initiatives that support the development of collaborative economic development strategies and the leaders required to implement them;
4. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: initiatives designed to support startups, high-growth companies and clusters within a region; and
5. Talent Development: initiatives that promote the development of 21st-century skills.

Rich Overmoyer, UEDA’s Executive Director and President & CEO of Fourth Economy Consulting stated, “As we benchmark cities of regional transformation across North America, there is a noticeable trend in the impact that quality institutions of higher education have on regions of growth.” Overmoyer continued, “these Awards of Excellence category winners and finalists represent regions where universities are playing a role to create sustainable economic growth.”

Biotech companies are looking for ways to speed up drug discovery and pharmaceutical companies need an easier way to find accurate drug pricing information to make their businesses more competitive. So two big data analytics companies graduating from Blueprint Health’s accelerator have taken a cue from Maverick and Goose. One offers a way to shrink the amount of time genome analysis takes and another developed a way to make it easier for drug companies to find global drug price data in real time.

Medical equipment supplier Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX.N) has agreed to buy CareFusion Corp (CFN.N), a maker of infusion pumps and other medical devices, for $12.2 billion in cash and stock, marking the latest multibillion-dollar healthcare sector deal.

Becton said on Sunday it would pay a total of $58.00 a share – $49.00 in cash and 0.0777 of a share of Becton Dickinson – for each share of CareFusion, representing a premium of 26 percent to the closing price on Oct. 3.

The US pharmaceutical company Baxter International is to establish a new global innovation and R&D center for biopharmacetucals in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. This follows Baxter’s decision to hive off its biopharmaceutical business as an independent company called Baxalta in mid-2015.

The new R&D center will house 400 R&D staff, who will relocate from current sites in California and Europe, although Baxalta will retain certain R&D operations at its site in Vienna, Austria. In addition, the new center will house Baxalta’s business development, oncology and biosimilars teams.

Health officials are now monitoring 50 people in Texas for signs of Ebola, via twice-daily temperature checks, and in recent days, there have been reports that people in other areas of the country — most recently, Washington, D.C. — may be infected with the virus.

But why can’t all these people just be tested for Ebola as soon as possible?

DPOB’s new program, TechConnect, provides up to $10,000 per tech company (with at least 4 employees) for locating for at least one year within Downtown Baltimore. Partner perks, including discounted design, legal and internet service and free zipcar hours are available as well. DPOB will also help companies through site selection, mitigate any move/set up issues, distribution of permits, etc. and they have two partner brokers on board to provide full brokerage service. Read more about their new program here: http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com/work/TechConnect/index.aspx