For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 15, 2018
Councilmember Leventhal to Host
Biotech Forum in Rockville
Speakers from the National Institutes of Health and
the private sector to join discussion on
fostering the biotech industry in Montgomery County
ROCKVILLE, Md., February 15, 2017—Councilmember George Leventhal will host and sponsor a Biotech Forum on Wednesday, February 28, bringing together leading minds to discuss the conditions in Montgomery County that foster a thriving biotech industry and opportunities for expansion in the coming years. The forum will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus at 9601 Medical Center Driver, Gilchrist Hall Auditorium, Rockville, Md.
The biotech industry in Montgomery County is world-renowned and is rapidly growing. It emerged out of the presence of federal research labs and agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Science and Technology. The industry in the County is supported by a complex web of public and private sector research, local universities such as Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, and local, national, and global firms.
“Recently, I introduced legislation to create a County matching grant for companies that receive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards from the National Institutes of Health,” said Councilmember Leventhal. “The legislation was enthusiastically supported at the County Council's public hearing on January 16, at which biotech entrepreneurs testified that even a small grant from the County would help them attract more federal and private funding, and would distinguish the County as a great place for life sciences companies to locate and expand. I look forward to the discussion at this forum on February 28 to learn what else the County can do to support our biotech industry and foster a healthy environment for the industry’s growth and expansion.”
Councilmember Leventhal will be joined by a panel including Jarrod Borkat, Senior Director of External Partnerships and Collaborations for MedImmune; Dr. Chris Austin, Director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Studies at NIH; and Matt Mulvey, PhD, Founder and CEO of BeneVir Biopharm. The panel will be moderated by Richard A. Bendis, President and CEO of BioHealth Innovation Inc.
For more information, contact Patty Vitale in the Office of Councilmember Leventhal at 240-777-7972 or at patricia.vitale@montgomerycountymd.gov.
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Release ID: 18-046