October 2011 Newsletter
An award-winning industry veteran with nearly three decades of experience as a leader in healthcare, pharmaceutical research and entrepreneurship, Dr. Frank L. Douglas is President and CEO of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron.
Additionally, he is University Professor in the College of Polymer Science and Engineering at The University of Akron, Professor of Integrated Medical Sciences at Northeast Ohio Medical University, member of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's Board of Trustees, and senior partner emeritus of PureTech Ventures. Douglas currently is the national chairman of the Value-driven Engineering and U.S. Global Competitiveness initiative, a public-private coalition made up of leaders from industry, academia and the public and private sectors working to retain the United States' lead in medical device development and innovation.
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October 2011 Newsletter
i6 Challenge Investment Supports Medical Device Innovation Center in Atlanta
by Wayne Hodges, Executive Director, Global Center for Medical Innovation
The worldwide market for medical devices is expected to top $300 billion this year and to continue growing, fueled by demands from a growing population and a U.S. Baby Boomer generation that expects a high level of healthcare services. That's an economic development opportunity that many states and regions would like to tap.
In Atlanta, a partnership of research and medical institutions, supported by the public-private Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), has formed the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) to do just that. With assistance from the Economic Development Administration, GCMI recently began construction of what will be the Southeasts first comprehensive medical device innovation center. The goal of the nonprofit center is to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation medical devices and technology.
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October 2011 Newsletter
The St. Louis region has made great strides in the creation of dedicated incubator and post-incubator laboratory facilities, capital, and support services for the development of bioscience companies.
Yet a gap exists at the earliest stage, where basic research from our institutions and nascent entrepreneurs is too undeveloped to sustain viable company formation. The St. Louis i6 Project is designed to fill this gap in the region’s commercialization continuum by vetting innovative technologies with startup potential and providing resources to de-risk and advance those technologies to third party funding (e.g. investments, grants, contracts).
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