“Every year, we attend BIO with the hopes of partnering with various biopharmaceutical companies, venture capitalists and other technology-oriented companies that may be interested in furthering our commercialization goals,” Shah said. In a span of four days, Shah said she and her OMRF colleague, Dr. Simanti Das, had two dozen meetings with companies from the U.S. and as far away as Australia, France, Ireland, South Korea and Japan. “Our next step is to follow up with those company representatives we met and send them the technology information they requested in those in-person meetings,” she said. “Even if they wanted to do collaborative work, we’re open to that. Anything that can help push the science at OMRF forward.” Koey Keylon was also part of Oklahoma’s contingent. As executive director of the Oklahoma City Innovation District’s Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Center, his aim was to network with Oklahoma’s in-state bio-
ecosystem partners and regional biotech companies to promote two things: • Awareness of the training center schedule to open this fall. • State and local government support for biomanufacturing growth. “Everyone was highly complimentary of the work, effort and planning that has gone into [the training center] project, further validating the need for more skills-based training capacities within the biotech industry,” Keylon said. Organizers hope to train at least 100 technicians within the first year of the center’s opening. The center is one of six projects aimed at rapidly expanding the region’s biotechnology cluster. All the projects are funded by a $35 million grant Oklahoma received as part of the EDA’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge initiative. Seymour said the EDA grant would produce more opportunities for the state to build a stronger bioscience
infrastructure as well as bump up the state’s existing profile and capabilities in the long term. “We’re really excited to be able to use the EDA funds to put a stamp on where we are headed.” he said.
“We’re really excited to be able to use the EDA funds to put a stamp on where we are headed.” - Jeff Seymour
3
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online