Press Release
Contact: Rosalyn Gell |
Phone: (919) 549-7500 ext.107 |
15th Annual Conference Highlights N.C.'s Biotech Community
Biotech 2006 Draws Experts from Medicine, Finance and Government to Explore Future Potential of Life Science Sector
May 24, 2006, Winston-Salem, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), along with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO), hosted the 15th annual Biotech conference on Monday and Tuesday with more than 800 people participating in total. Held at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem, Biotech 2006 showcased the state’s position as one of the top three biotech economies in the nation.
The conference kicked off Monday afternoon with strategic forums addressing topics important to North Carolina’s strong biotechnology community. The evening gala on Monday night featured comments from Dr. Robert Kadlec, Director of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness. In addition, Dennis Dougherty of Intersouth Partners received the 4th annual Charles Hamner Leadership Award in recognition of extraordinary contributions and service in the region’s life science sector.
On Tuesday, the conference featured remarks from Stelios Papadopoulos, vice chairman of SG Cowen & Co., LLC and Ira Flatow, NPR science correspondent and award-winning TV journalist, as well as six additional concurrent panel sessions.
During his keynote presentation on Tuesday morning, Papadopoulos said he was impressed with the large turnout at the conference, adding that biotech is becoming a statewide phenomenon in North Carolina. Papadopoulos also described the national landscape for life sciences in the public markets.
"Wall Street has a big part to play in biotech," he said. "What drives interest in the biotech sector are external factors such as an optimistic environment and an absence of investment alternatives. Market timing is far more important than anything else."
In his lunchtime keynote, entitled “Talking Science in a World that Doesn’t Care,” Flatow emphasized the need for a renewed emphasis on the importance of science.
“There are many companies and organizations with innovative scientific breakthroughs, as is evidenced here today,” said Flatow. “But often they don’t get the media attention they deserve. We, as scientists, must seek to illuminate the public about our work by becoming our own gatekeepers.”
About CED:The Council for EntrepreneurialDevelopment (CED) is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to identify, enable and promote high growth, high impact entrepreneurial companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and North Carolina. CED is the largest and oldest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 4,000 members representing over 1,100 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. In July 2005, Wilmington's Coastal Entrepreneurial Council merged with CED to create CED-Coastal, a divisional office focused on entrepreneurial development in Wilmington and throughout North Carolina's entire coastal region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. www.cednc.org
About the North Carolina Biotechnology Center: The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation funded primarily by the state's General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide. www.ncbiotech.org
About the North Carolina Biosciences Organization: NCBIO is a trade organization promoting the development of the biosciences industry in North Carolina. NCBIO provides cost-effective, organized legislative and advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry at the state and federal levels. www.ncbioscience.org
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