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SC BIO & SC Launch! Form Collaborative Partnership To Advance Life Sciences Commercialization In SC

SCRA
Kristie Bohm, APR
Byrum Innovation Group
864.616.4303
Kristie.bohm@att.net

GREENWOOD, SC, December 18, 2006 –SC Launch! and SC BIO jointly announced today formation of a collaborative partnership, designed to advance the commercialization of innovative life science technologies in South Carolina and to bolster growth of the Knowledge Economy.

“As we look at the growth of life sciences in South Carolina and the emerging concepts in biopharmaceuticals, environmental biotechnology, alternative enzymes, and alternative fuels, a tremendous opportunity exists to create higher-paying Knowledge Economy jobs by properly fostering companies at the earliest possible stage and setting a foundation for a solid future for life sciences in the state,” SCRA Senior Vice President and SC Launch! Director Dave McNamara said.

“The SC Launch!-SC BIO collaboration is a vital element in the overall commercialization efforts of all emerging technologies in South Carolina,” SC BIO CEO Karl Kelly said. “This collaborative broadens and intensifies technology commercialization efforts by uniting research foundations, SC BIO and the SC Launch! Program, thus allowing all three to systematically support the creation and growth of new companies.”

The announcement was held at SC BIO headquarters in Greenwood. SC Launch!, an SCRA collaboration, accelerates entrepreneurial growth of technology startups by delivering key tools for success, creating higher-paying jobs and building equity in the future for all South Carolina. SC BIO, formally known as the South Carolina Biotechnology Incubation Program, is a public-private, not-for-profit organization, composed of industry, university and private entities collaborating to develop new life science companies and the biotechnology industry in South Carolina.

For many companies, the SC Launch!-SC BIO collaborative means access to a depth of professional services and capital resources to which they previously might not have had, given their stage of maturity or funding. McNamara said: “These companies can benefit from the collaboration, because SC Launch! can offer them a multitude of professional services to operate and thrive and then can prepare them for increased capital investment.”

“Before the SC Launch! and SC BIO relationship, a significant gap existed in the ability to systematically provide seed money for start-up companies with life science concepts that could be commercialized on a national and global basis,” Kelly said. “Today, we are working with 20 concepts in different phases of development, and the collaboration reaches 11 research locations in South Carolina, including both rural areas and metropolitan centers.”

SC Launch! and SC BIO officials point to the collaborative as a method not only to promote increased jobs in the state through growth of South Carolina-based biotechnology companies but also to boost the economy and job growth through corporate “landing parties” that may enter the state.

“Today, we are knitting the work of state research universities, federal laboratories and private enterprise into a fabric that will assist South Carolina in creating high-impact companies that increase job growth and subsequently develop an atmosphere that attracts biotechnology companies to the state,” Kelly said.

“Moving forward, this collaboration will include an accurate evaluation of the market and the needs of the companies emerging in South Carolina. With this collaboration we can utilize SC BIO’s expertise and understanding of the life science market and commercialization with SC Launch! resources to better serve emerging companies. Our primary responsibility resides with serving the scientific investigators and entrepreneurs as a team – and if we serve them prudently, then we will continue to refine and improve our work and depth of services,” he said.

SCRA dedicates itself to collaborating to shape the Knowledge Economy in South Carolina. Since its inception, SCRA has had a total economic impact of more than $6.9
billion and has created more than 15,000 jobs. According to a university study, SCRA’s sustaining contribution should reach annually at least $1.2 billion.

About SC BIO
SC BIO (The South Carolina Biotechnology Incubation Program) is a public/private, not-for-profit organization composed of industry, university, and private entities collaborating to develop new life science companies and the biotechnology industry in South Carolina. SC BIO is a catalyst that aids in commercialization supporting financial growth, process development, and marketing for emerging life science companies. Currently, SC BIO is working with over 20 emerging life science companies around the state. For more information, please visit www.scbio.org.

About SC Launch!

SC Launch!, an SCRA collaboration, accelerates entrepreneurial growth of technology startups by delivering key tools for success, creating high-paying jobs and building equity in the future for all South Carolina. SC Launch! is a partnership among Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina and SCRA. For more information, please visit www.sclaunch.org.

About SCRA

SCRA, which collaborates to advance technology, fosters growth of the Knowledge Economy as a global and regional leader by collaborating to advance technology with research universities, like Clemson, USC and MUSC, industry consortia, government, and private enterprise. For more information, please visit: www.scra.org.

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