Guest Blogger Mark Leahey of MDMA discusses SBIR

My name is Mark Leahey, and I am the Executive Director of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA).  MDMA is a national trade association representing innovative, entrepreneurial medical technology companies across the country.  Our mission is to ensure that patients have timely access to the latest advancements in medical technology, most of which are developed [...]

Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

 

 
Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
A new way to look at funding
The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) raises money and awards grants to academic and biotechnology industry scientists who are conducting drug discovery research for Alzheimer’s Disease, related dementias and cognitive aging.
The way research is funded is evolving and by employing a venture capital model, [...]

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Lauds Congress

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation today lauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing legislation to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

 
In response to testimony from Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation, the legislation includes a provision requiring that special attention be given to research for rare diseases, such as [...]

House renews SBIR bill, now onto the Senate!

Yesterday, the House voted overwhelmingly (368-43), to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.  This bill will allow more biotechnology companies to compete for research funding.
This act will increase access to early-stage funding for treatments and cures for debilitating diseases.  Congress has recognized the capital-intensive needs of emerging biotechnology companies, whose development of a [...]

In which we respond to California Biotech Law Blog

California Biotech Law Blog posted a summary of recent House hearings on reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR).

In the world of biotechnology, the principle at stake is the United States’s claim to be an innovation engine in the global economy. Our members and their scientists are developing disease treatments and cures at a rapid rate, but because these cutting-edge treatments are so new, it takes 10-15 years before they reach the market. In the meantime, they thrive on traditional venture capital and the government’s version of VC: the SBIR program.

If Congress wants to perpetuate the image – and reality – of the US as the center of innovation, they must adapt the criteria for SBIR grants to match the reality for these budding treatments and burgeoning companies.

5 Questions with SSTI’s Vice President Mark Skinner

What is State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI)?
It is a national nonprofit organization based outside of Columbus, OH, that is dedicated to leading, supporting, and strengthening public-private efforts to improve regional economies through science, technology and innovation.   Part of SSTI’s mission is to serve as a neutral convener for discussion and advancement of key issues [...]

Conversation with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

 
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the leading organization in the United States devoted to curing and controlling cystic fibrosis. We spoke with Mary Dwight about her organization and the important work they do.
 Can you tell us a bit about CFF’s purpose?  The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the leader in developing drugs to treat and [...]

House Small Business Committee Holds SBIR Hearing

House Small Business Committee Holds Hearing on the Reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research Program 
Witness List 
March 13, 2008 
Chairwoman Velazquez’s (NY-12) led a lively hearing on the SBIR program in helping small businesses support promising research. She emphasized the importance of reinstating eligibility of majority venture capital-backed companies and highlighted the remedy offered in the [...]

New therapies deserve diverse funding sources

Getting financing can be difficult. This news article from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette demonstrates the importance of SBIR funding.
“Not all start-up companies have been able to tap into venture capital to fund their businesses. Mr. Prescott of Crescent Innovations has secured federal Small Business Innovation Research funding, grants and money from [...]

Putting the “I” Back into SBIR

Putting the “I” back — that is the “I” in innovation. While we consider SBIR program to be critical to the commercialization of biotechnology for our industry, it is clear that others do not share this view ordiffer on the ways in which this problem should be fixed. For example, Kristie Prinz wrote [...]