Charlottesville Region Has Workforce of More than 1,000 Dedicated to Life Sciences
Charlottesville Region Has Workforce of More than 1,000 Dedicated to Life Sciences
CvilleBioHub Created to Promote Local Life Sciences Industry
Charlottesville, VA – January 20, 2017 – More than 60 community and business leaders gathered at Indoor Biotechnologies on Wednesday evening to celebrate the launch of CvilleBioHub – a nonprofit organization that is connecting the many biotechnology and life-science companies in the greater Charlottesville area. The CvilleBioHub was founded to provide pathways for growth and to promote the area as a center for this dynamic industry.
Martin Chapman, CvilleBioHub co-founder and CEO of Indoor Biotechnologies, shared encouraging statistics at the event: the BioHub’s 59 companies, foundations and non-profits have more than 1,200 local employees; occupy over 430,000 square feet of office and lab space, and contribute between $100 and $200 million to the local economy each year.
CvilleBioHub organizations are contributing to the Charlottesville community and the scientific world at large. The region boasts organizations that are innovating new products to make food better and safer, accelerating research, optimizing healthcare delivery and developing new medical treatments for autoimmune diseases, cancer, Zika virus, neurological diseases, and even a new form of male birth control.
The launch event attendees welcome the resources and recognition of the CvilleBioHub. Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer opened the event program by saying, “These kinds of association are really important for the city and the region as we take these industries to the next level. This is where the jobs of the future and the dynamism is going to come from. We know that, and we want Charlottesville to be ahead.”
“Charlottesville has the highest concentration of biotech companies – more than Richmond, Norfolk, Northern Virginia. It really is the biotech hub of the Commonwealth,” said Andrew Krouse, founder of Cavion, a Charlottesville-based drug development company that recently completed a $26.1M financial raise.
Speaking on behalf of Senator Mark Warner, Regional Director Sam Taylor said, “The life sciences, new technologies and innovation are what’s going to drive Virginia into the future.”
The CvilleBioHub website features metrics on the scope of the local industry and its impact on the community, profiles of more than 40 local companies/non-profits, a news feed, events listings and other resources. Several events are planned for the spring, including a biotech forum at the Tom Tom Founders Festival and an annual Spring Biosciences Luncheon.
The vision for the CvilleBioHub is to be a valuable resource for established organizations, start-ups and UVA students and faculty who want to learn from experienced industry professionals about taking their research into the marketplace.
The launch event also featured 20 of the top images from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s yearly BioART competition. These images, both strikingly beautiful and scientifically enriching, were displayed at Indoor Biotechnologies, the host of the launch event, for the first time outside of the National Institute of Health.