Maryland Governor O'Malley Celebrates Maryland's BIO Milestones, Previews Life Sciences Advisory Board Report

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ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 18, 2009) - As Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley readies to attend the BIO 2009 International Convention in Atlanta this week, he joined today with Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board members, Maryland bioscience executives and officials at Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation in Rockville to celebrate Maryland’s bio milestones and unveil the recommendations of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board (LSAB).

The Governor also detailed plans to promote Maryland at BIO 2009 this week, the largest global gathering of the bioscience industry, where he will lead a contingent of close to 400 attendees from Maryland, including a delegation of 30 Maryland bioscience companies.

“The investments we are making in bioscience today positions the State for sustained future growth and ensures our global leadership in this industry,” said Governor O’Malley. “I am proud of the work of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board, which has spent the past 18 months charting a comprehensive, long-term plan to maximize Maryland’s unique research and development assets, and grow Maryland’s life sciences industry even during difficult economic times. I look forward to working closely with the Board to move these recommendations forward.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent a Congressional District and State that has been one of the most active regions in the country in promoting the biotechnology industry. Maryland is home to more than 400 bioscience companies, which is one of the fastest growing clusters in the United States,” said Congressman Chris Van Hollen. “The Federal government has been a committed partner in the development of biotechnology, providing a historic investment in the sciences as part of the Recovery Act. As Congress and President Obama tackle health reform, Maryland’s cutting edge technologies and best practices will serve as a national model of excellence.”

Key among the recommendations Governor O’Malley announced today is the co-location of the Maryland Biotechnology Center, which will have offices in Baltimore and Montgomery County.

“The decision by Governor O’Malley and the Life Sciences Advisory Board to locate the Maryland Bioscience Center in Montgomery County is very exciting and marks another major milestone for the county and state in supporting the continued growth and success of our vital biotechnology industry,” said Montgomery County Executive Leggett. “We currently have over 350 life sciences companies in the County, and this new Center, along with ongoing local initiatives, will provide the support and infrastructure needed to propel the county’s and state’s biotech and advanced technology industries forward.”

The 15-member LSAB, which was formed by Governor O’Malley in 2007, has been working for more than 18 months on a strategic plan for Maryland’s bioscience industry. During that time, the Board has engaged more than 100 industry experts in working groups and held nine public meetings and two public forums to solicit input on the plan. The Board’s strategic priorities include ensuring the sustained growth and future competitiveness of Maryland’s bioscience industry; supporting the creation and growth of innovative bioscience companies by ensuring access to capital; positioning Maryland for global leadership in cutting-edge areas of biosciences research and emerging and growth markets; and advancing bioscience talent generation and workforce development.

“Maryland is a global leader in biotech innovation, and Aeras chose Rockville for our tuberculosis vaccine facility because we believe this is an excellent environment for us to recruit talented staff and engage in cutting-edge research to stop the global tuberculosis epidemic,” said Dr. Jerald Sadoff, President & CEO of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation. “We appreciate the Governor’s leadership in promoting life sciences in Maryland.”

In addition to establishing a Maryland Biotechnology Center, the Board also developed 16 additional specific actions, including establishing a BioEntrepreneur Resource Program to provide one-stop assistance to new and emerging companies; establishing the Maryland Life Science Venture Capital Trust to advance investment in Maryland’s bioscience companies and strengthening and advancing BioMaryland – Maryland’s bioscience brand.

Since taking office, Governor O’Malley has spearheaded a number of strategic investments in Maryland’s bioscience industry. In addition to creating the LSAB, he launched the BIO 2020 initiative, a 10-year, $1.3 billion strategy for moving Maryland’s bioscience industry forward. Governor O’Malley was instrumental in securing funding for critical bio investments, including $59 million over three years for Maryland’s Stem Cell Research Fund, $18 million over three years for the popular Biotechnology Tax Credit and $9 million for nanobiotechnology research grants. Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland’s major research parks, including the University of Maryland, Baltimore BioPark, the Science +Technology Park in East Baltimore and the Montgomery College/Germantown Science and Technology Park, have undergone significant expansion. In addition, the State has attracted, or assisted in launch or expansion, of more than 50 bioscience companies in the last two years, including Aeras Global, OpGen, Life Technologies, Biomere, Akonni Biosystems and Emergent Biosolutions.

Home to more than 400 bioscience companies and 50 research-intense federal institutes and centers, Maryland is well positioned in the global bioscience industry and has been recognized by the Milken Institute as one of the top tier states highly specialized in overall bioscience development. Since the early 1990s, Maryland has focused on bioscience development and was one of the first states to develop a strategic plan for the industry.

Over the years, strategic investments have helped Maryland’s bioscience industry grow into one of the world’s largest bioscience research complexes, known for its wealth of federal facilities, institutions of higher learning and concentration of highly trained bioscience researchers. From 2001 to 2006, the State’s bioscience industry grew by nearly 15 percent, adding 3,200 jobs to top more than 25,000 bioscience jobs in Maryland. In addition, from 2002 to 2007, Maryland’s university bioscience research soared, growing 44 percent from $877,000 to $1.3 billion. Today, Maryland’s bioscience research complex is estimated to receive nearly $8 billion in R & D expenditures annually, ranking third only to California and New Jersey.

Source: Maryland Governor