NE JoCo Bids for Biosciences

[KC0KEK]

Bioscience effort to start in Mission

By: Nathan Dayani, Sun Staff Writer September 16, 2004

The Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) will host its inaugural meeting next week in Mission, where members are expected to discuss their priorities and the future of the KBA.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius last month appointed nine leaders in the bioscience industry to the KBA, which was created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act to guide the state in developing a world-class bioscience industry that could create tens of thousands of jobs throughout Kansas.

On Wednesday, the authority members will gather for the first time at a press conference at Script Pro, a company that specializes in technology that distributes pharmaceutical drugs, and discuss their priorities and Kansas' niche in the bioscience industry, said state Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee.

"They're going to have a lot of discussion about that and determine what direction we should go with research in the state of Kansas," said Jordan, who co-wrote the bill that established the KBA.

The appointments are expected to be made official on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Jordan said the KBA, at its inaugural meeting, might announce plans to establish committees that would foster development in specific sectors of the bioscience industry. However, he said, much has yet to be determined about the KBA, including institutional designs and who would direct the authority.

Jordan said those issues would probably not be resolved at the Wednesday meeting.

"I would imagine they're going to be looking for somebody outside to come in and take the reins of the authority," he said.

Another key issue yet to be resolved is what type of facility the KBA would use to accomplish its goals. The facility could be as simple as traditional office space where KBA members could host board meetings, or something more elaborate that includes laboratories where members conduct scientific research.

Stipulations in the Kansas Economic Growth Act mandate the facility be located in Johnson County, which has more bioscience businesses and facilities than any other county in the state.

Mission City Administrator Mike Scanlon said he thinks the KBA wants to locate its headquarters in northeast Johnson County. He said the Wednesday meeting in Mission might signify their interest in locating in the area, which includes facilities in Mission and Fairway that could accommodate the KBA's needs.

State Rep. Ed O'Malley, R-Roeland Park, said the KBA could locate anywhere in the county if it wanted a simple office facility. However, he said, the northeast Johnson County area has a number of strong selling points that could attract the KBA to locate in the area, including its closeness to the University of Kansas Medical Center and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Mo.

"Right now, there are a lot of people trying to guess what will be best for the authority, but we really have to see what authority members think they'll need," O'Malley said. "If the authority decides they simply need office space, that's pretty easy to find. If they decide they need research facilities, they need to determine whether they want to redevelop an area or whether they want to develop something new."

Because much has to be determined about the KBA, "it's probably going to take a while before we see any momentum come out of this," he said. But O'Malley, Jordan and a number of other state officials remain upbeat about the future of the KBA, which is expected to create 100 new businesses, help expand existing businesses, and generate more than 20,000 bioscience jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs in the next 15 to 20 years.

"We have a tremendous opportunity here," Jordan said. "It's going to have a tremendous economic impact throughout the state."

O'Malley said a key feature about the KBA is that it would help bring bioscience technologies to the marketplace in addition to fostering the development of those technologies.

"We didn't want to pass a bill that would lead only to a lot of research at our universities," he said. "We wanted to take that and find a way to commercialize that research to spin that off into companies, jobs and income for people throughout the state of Kansas."

Following is a list of the nominated members of the KBA: Victoria Franchetti Haynes, president and CEO of RTI International at the Research Triangle in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Sandra Lawrence, senior vice president and treasurer of the Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, Mo.; Bill Sanford, technology entrepreneur, founder of STERIS Corporation and current CEO of NanoScale Materials in Manhattan; Clay Blair, entrepreneur and philanthropist in the Kansas City area; David Franz, expert in bioterrorism; Dolph Simons Jr., business and civic leader from Lawrence; Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during the Clinton Administration; Jim Barone, state senator and corporate executive, Frontenac; Stephen O'Connor, nationally recognized innovator and technology-oriented entrepreneur, Leavenworth.

[Brooksider]

If they need more than just office space maybe they could buy the old Sprint headquarters. It is right down the street from KU Med and Stowers.

[KC0KEK]

Yup. I suspect that they're looking at the old Sprint HQ in Westwood. There are also office buildings next to KCTV in Fairway, but I don't know what their occupancy rate is.

There's also the wild card of Mission Center Mall. Maybe they could knock that down and do a mixed-use project of retail and office. Not sure what Mission's new guidlines will allow there, though.

[Maitre D]

Bioscience is probably the most over-hyped industry in America today.

The Bio-Tech industry has lost more money than any industry in the history of the world. Biogen & Amgen have produced tangible products and great corporations - but most have failed.

Hopefully, the region can produce the next Biogen.

[KCK]

Bioscience is probably the most over-hyped industry in America today.

The Bio-Tech industry has lost more money than any industry in the history of the world. Biogen & Amgen have produced tangible products and great corporations - but most have failed.

Hopefully, the region can produce the next Biogen.

I completely agree pitt, and the return on the investment is very small. However Kansas is the perfect place for bioscience if it is with concern to agriculture. The agricultural industry is huge here, and could profit huge from things like Round-Up ready crops and things like that.

Personally I want the Bioscience HQ in KCK near the new Bioscience building at KUmed because I am sick of Johnson County getting all of the attention.

[cdschofield]

If they need more than just office space maybe they could buy the old Sprint headquarters. It is right down the street from KU Med and Stowers.

That's exactly what came to my mind as I was reading the article.

[cdschofield]

I hope the KBA doesn't start this JoCo go it alone thing. They should become a member of The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute. This is a good chance for JoCo and JaCo to start fresh and work in the spirit of OneKC.

[Slappy the Wang]

Bioscience is probably the most over-hyped industry in America today.
.

I agree. People should stop whining about curing their diseases and get on with their lives.

[staubio]

Bioscience is probably the most over-hyped industry in America today.
.

I agree. People should stop whining about curing their diseases and get on with their lives.

The award for best cutting and relevant sarcasm goes to Slappy.

[KCK]

Bioscience is probably the most over-hyped industry in America today.
.

I agree. People should stop whining about curing their diseases and get on with their lives.

Here is the deal. Every city from California to New York has been trying to attract biosciences. This has in fact really watered down the effect this industry has. The large bioscience centers are already out there. Not only this, but the huge promises that bioscience made have yet to come through. Where is my cure for cancer, or alzheimers, or anything? I believe in finding cures for diseases, but these bioscience people have been talking for the last 15 years about what bioscience could do, and never talk about what it has already done aside from waste our time and money. Until huge breakthroughs like promised start coming through, bioscience isn't even profitable, it is a publicly financed boondoggle. No business operates that way, so why should our government. Kansas which might I add can't even afford to finance its schools, is going to build a bioscience center that is going to leech even more public money away.

What am I supposed to tell my step-sister while she is walking the mile and a half to school when I try to explain to her that Kansas would rather pay a bunch of people $75,000 a year, and give them millions in research money so that they can never do anything with it, than provide you with a bus to ride to school, or books and desks for your over crowded high school.

[KC0KEK]

Bioscience is probably the most over-hyped industry in America today.

The Bio-Tech industry has lost more money than any industry in the history of the world.

More than telecom? Or the dot-coms?