MADISON – The Wisconsin pavilion at the 2010 BIO International Convention in Chicago on May 3-6 will feature companies, institutions and economic development groups from across the state, an indication of the increasing diversity and reach of Wisconsin’s biotech economy.
Under the banner of Thrive, the regional economic development group for south-central Wisconsin, visitors to the pavilion on the floor of Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center will find Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric Co., the city of Madison, the Fitchburg Technology Neighborhood and the city of Middleton Area Development Corp. The Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau is also attending.
Tech-based companies from the Madison region with presence in the pavilion are Anteco Pharma, DNASTAR, Exact Sciences, Gilson Inc., Intense Engineering, Promega, Scarab Genomics, Scientific Protein Laboratories and TRAC Microbiology.
Western Wisconsin will be represented through Momentum West, which covers 10 counties as well as educational institutions such as UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley Technical College – home to the NanoRite Innovation Center. About $10 million in academic research and development takes place each year at those UW campuses.
Central Wisconsin will be anchored by the Marshfield Clinic, one the nation’s leading private clinics, and the Marshfield Chamber of Commerce. The Marshfield Clinic conducts about $25 million in research annually in animal and human fields.
Milwaukee will be represented by the BloodCenter of Wisconsin (about $15 million per year), the UW-Milwaukee (about $35 million per year) and the UWM Foundation.
Companies from other parts of Wisconsin or which serve the entire state are Aberdean Consulting; Arnold & O’Sheridan; Ayurvedic-Life International; Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Inc. Architects; Hilton Madison Monona Terrace; Leinenkugel Brewing Co.; Luminis Group Ltd.; Makin’ Hey! Communications; Michael Best & Friedrich; Mortenson Construction; Perkins Coie and Quarles & Brady LLC. Some of these companies are also sponsors of affiliated events during the convention.
The UW-Madison is represented by a “family” that includes the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, the Office of Corporate Relations, University Research Park, UW Engineering Professional Development, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Department of International Studies, the School of Medicine, the Morgridge Institute for Research, the Waisman Center Clinical BioManufacturing Facility, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, WiCell Research Institute and Wisconsin BioEnergy Initiative.
The UW-Madison is one of the nation’s largest research institutions, with total R&D spending exceeding $940 million per year.
In addition, individuals from a number of other Wisconsin companies are attending the convention to take part in “bio-partnering” events, educational seminars and other activities designed to better prepare them to find business partners, global markets and investors.
Statewide organizations at BIO will include BioForward, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Forward Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Technology Council.
“This is the most diverse Wisconsin delegation to BIO in the history of the convention,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council, which is coordinating the pavilion and many other events. “It speaks to the continued growth of the state’s biotech economy, from basic research to tech transfer to company development.”
Up to 20,000 people from more than two-dozen states and 40 countries are expected to attend. The convention, the world’s largest for the biotech sector, was last held in Chicago in 2006.
Wisconsin’s 600-square-foot pavilion on the BIO exhibition floor is adjacent to the Minnesota pavilion and near other Midwest state pavilions. Several networking events will match companies and individuals from Wisconsin with counterparts in Minnesota, Illinois and the province of Manitoba.
To learn more, visit www.WisconsinAtBio.com or contact Jodi Hoeser, national conference director for the Wisconsin Technology Council, at 608-442-7557 ext. 26., or jhoeser@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
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