Six workgroups comprised of statewide bioscience and economic development leaders have been launched to develop specific recommendations to advance Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, a long-term strategy to propel Arizona to national biosciences stature.
The groups of 15-20 members will meet monthly through the fall, when their plans will be presented to the Roadmap steering committee. This process follows a nine-month research period by the Battelle Memorial Institute Technology Partnership Practice that led to a series of recommended strategies and supporting actions.
Three committees will focus on scientific disciplines: bioengineering, cancer therapeutics, and neurological sciences. The Battelle team concluded that Arizona has existing or emerging strengths in these research areas, and that they could achieve national prominence within five years. Members were nominated by the vice presidents for research at Arizona’s universities and by leadership at the state’s research institutions and hospitals.
Three additional workgroups will focus on economic development areas of capital, entrepreneurial assistance, and facilities. These groups are comprised of leaders from statewide private and public institutions with an interest in biosciences development.
The Roadmap was commissioned by the Flinn Foundation, a private, nonprofit philanthropic endowment that supports the advancement of the biosciences in Arizona, as well as an undergraduate scholarship program at Arizona’s universities and a grants program for Arizona’s principal arts organizations.
Battelle is the world’s largest nonprofit research and development organization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle undertakes more than 4,500 projects annually for industry, higher education, the public sector, and others. Battelle’s Technology Partnership Practice has extensive experience and knowledge in the development of biomedical and biotechnology strategies.