Three Industry Leaders, One Groundbreaking Organization Honored with 2008 GaBio Community Awards
ATLANTA, GA — Each year Georgia Bio (GaBio) recognizes individuals, companies or institutions for significant contributions to Georgia’s life sciences industry with its Georgia Bio Community Awards. The 2008 winners are Georgia State Representative Charlice Byrd; Carl V. Patton, Ph.D., Georgia State University President (GSU); Margaret Offermann, M.D., Ph.D., American Cancer Society Deputy National Vice President for Research; and Southeast Bio. The awards were presented at GaBio’s Annual Awards Dinner Thursday evening with more than 400 life sciences professionals in attendance.
Rep. Byrd is an aggressive supporter of Georgia’s life sciences industry. In 2007, she engineered the passage of HR 662, creating the House Study Committee on Bioeconomic Development. The Committee held five hearings last fall, gathering recommendations from 50 expert speakers on how Georgia can support growth of the life sciences industry. Based on these recommendations, Rep Byrd is drafting legislation to implement a comprehensive strategy for bioeconomic development, making Georgia a global leader in life sciences technology innovation.
Rep. Byrd, who represents the 20th House District, also was named a 2007 National Legislator of the Year by the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington, DC.
Dr. Patton is retiring this summer after 16 years as President of Georgia State University. During this time, he transformed Georgia State and much of downtown Atlanta. Among his many accomplishments is the launch of construction on a major new Science Park in downtown Atlanta that will advance life sciences research and commercialization of new technologies. The $150 million Phase I development will add 350,000 square feet of laboratory, office and classroom space. The Science Park will provide a wide range of biotechnology related core facilities and resources to help support not only commercial companies but also faculty research.
One element of the plan is to integrate life-sciences faculty and student researchers with opportunities for commercialization experiences and employment in local companies. GSU was the first Georgia university to open a company incubator in 1998.
This is just one example of how Dr. Patton has transformed Georgia State. Dr. Patton also has overseen the acceleration of Georgia State’s reputation as one of the nation’s largest urban research institutions in the country. The university has now achieved the highest rating possible from the Carnegie Foundation as a “research intensive university.”
Dr. Offermann worked tirelessly for two years with GaBio’s Stem Cell Task Force, educating Georgia’s elected officials about the science and benefits of stem cell research. Her expertise was instrumental is persuading the General Assembly not to enact policies more restrictive than the federal government.
Dr. Offermann also is co-chair of the Corporate Research Leaders Forum, the group that initiated an expanded science program for the Georgia Life Sciences Summit. This program has focused on leading advances in scientific research at universities, institutes and companies. The Summit Science Program and other events organized by the Corporate Research Leaders Forum have fostered closer relations between the academic community and the industry.
Southeast Bio (SEBIO) was honored as a groundbreaking organization that has increased venture capital investment in emerging life sciences companies throughout the Southeast with its signature Southeast Venture Forum. The annual event, which brings together venture capitalists with early stage companies, has stimulated life sciences development throughout the region for the past 10 years.
In 2007, Southeast Bio launched its unique BioPlan competition designed to spur the creation of new, venture-attractive life science companies based in the Southeast. The program works with technology transfer offices and entrepreneurs throughout the region in an attempt to pull forward opportunities from the region’s research universities, research centers and existing entrepreneurs.
The current SEBIO Chair is Phillip Street, a partner with Kilpatrick Stockton, and the Immediate Past Chair is Becky Kauffman, a partner with King & Spalding.
