Chinese Delegation Visits Biotech Park
For Immediate Release
October 15, 2010
Public Officials Looking to Learn How to Create Knowledge-Based Jobs
Richmond, VA – On Wednesday, October 13th 2010 the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park hosted a delegation from Yangzhou, China. The group came to the Park following a request by Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, who hosted the delegation, covering topics including economic development and public investment in knowledge-based job creation. The participants were Vice Directors and Division Chiefs from 10 Economic Development Zones and Industrial Parks within Yangzhou, China. Collectively, they were in charge of construction, planning, and the promotion of investment in their zones and parks. Specific to their visit, they were interested in industry selection within the park, infrastructure construction, and finance related to park improvement. They were particularly interested in visiting the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park because it is one of the few successful urban biotechnology research parks in the United States.
The delegation spent a majority of their day long visit with President and CEO, Robert T. Skunda, learning about the history of the Research Park, how it was built and financed and the governance structure . The group also heard from Dr. Eugene P. Trani, President Emeritus of Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Trani is the former Chairman of the Board of the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, as well as an author and scholar in foreign studies , including U.S. – China economic and political relations. He spoke to the group about his most recent publication: “The Indispensible University: How Higher Education Can Promote Economic and Community Development in the Knowledge Economy” and advised that as public officials and community leaders, they needed to look to Yangzhou University as a potential catalyst for economic development in their country.
The afternoon included a walking tour of the Park and a presentation at UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing. The delegation was given an overview of how the organ procurement and donation process occurs in the United States. They were taken on an extended tour of the organ donation center, where the matching process across the entire United States occurs on a 24 hour basis. The day was concluded with a tour of the National Donor Memorial Garden at UNOS.
About the Park: The Virginia BioTechnology Research Park is currently home to a unique mix of over 63 public and private bioscience companies, research institutes affiliated with the VCU Medical Center, and major state and national medical laboratories. These companies are housed in nine buildings totaling more than 1.1 million square feet of space, representing an employee base that exceeds 2,000. The Park’s nationally recognized biosciences business incubation program, the Virginia Biosciences Development Center (VBDC), has successfully graduated more than 40 client companies, including three publicly traded firms. VBDC’s client companies and graduates have attracted more than $400 million in equity, grant and strategic capital. The Park’s Virginia Biosciences Commercialization Center (VBCC) has been created to assist international life sciences companies locating at the Park with commercialization activities through M&A or IPO, giving these Park’s tenants full-scale business assistance as they enter the US market. The Commercialization Center is working with 12 bioscience companies with technologies ranging from medical devices to diagnostics and therapeutics. www.vabiotech.com
Contact
Courtney L. Skunda
Marketing and Communications Manager
Virginia BioTechnology Research Park
Phone: 804-827-2137
Email: cskunda@vabiotech.com
