Governor announces winners of Governor’s
Cup in Biosciences

Topeka - Governor Kathleen Sebelius today announced the winners of the inaugural Governor’s Cup in the Biosciences, the State’s top award for collaboration in bioscience industry development. The recipients of the inaugural award are: the Junction City and Geary County Economic Development Council; the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC); and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

“It’s an honor to present the first-ever Governor’s Cup in the Biosciences to these three deserving organizations,” Governor Sebelius said. “The Governor’s Cup is designed to recognize organizations and leaders who have shown excellence in collaboration, innovation and expansion of the state's bioscience sector. Teamwork is essential to growing the biosciences in Kansas, and these recipients have worked together to make Kansas a center of bioscience innovation.”

The three groups have been involved in various bioscience projects in the past year, most notably the relocation of early-stage companies Edenspace and Ventria Bioscience to Junction City.

The Governor’s Cup was formally presented earlier this month during the international BIO Convention in Boston, where Kansas brought a delegation of more than 100 business leaders, policymakers and researchers to promote the state’s biotech industry. Kansas boasted the second-largest delegation at the 20,000-person event – trailing only the host state of Massachusetts – and garnered significant media coverage, thanks largely to U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) throwing the ceremonial “first pitch” to open the Kansas Pavilion. The Kansas state presence was organized by KansasBio, with the help of industry partners, including the Kansas Bioscience Authority, KTEC, the Kansas Department of Commerce, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Bayer Animal Health and ICM.

In addition to his agency’s being named a winner of the Governor’s Cup, Secretary of Agriculture Adrian Polansky was named the State Executive of the Year by the national BIO organization for his leadership and support of biotechnology in Kansas.

“It’s been a difficult few weeks for our state, first with the devastation in Greensburg and then with the damaging floods we’ve experienced,” Governor Sebelius said. “But our delegation in Boston certainly provided us with some happy news and represented our state’s bioscience industry on the grandest of stages. Thanks to the work of KansasBio and other bioscience industry partners, we are continuing to grow our bioscience industry and promote our state as one of the best places in the nation for bio.”

The Governor’s Cup was the centerpiece of the state’s Bio Industry Growth (BIG) Awards, which were presented during a ceremony on the Boston Harbor. Other BIG Awards presented include:

Academic R&D – Honoring growth in academic research and development

· Winner: KU & KU Medical Center
· Runners-up: Kansas State University; Wichita State University

R&D Magnet – Honoring those working to position Kansas for success in securing R&D

· Winner: Heartland BioAgro Consortium (NBAF in Kansas)
· Runners-up: Animal Health Task Force; NCI Designation

Kansas’ HOT SPOT Awards - Highlighting Kansas’ success in business attraction

(Large Company Category)
· Winner: Quintiles Transnational
· Runner-up: American Ingredients
(Emerging Company Category)
· Winner: Ventria Bioscience
· Runners-up: OncImmune; IdentiGEN; Edenspace

Expansion Award - Honoring an existing Kansas company that has had significant impact on the industry by expansion of its operations and facilities

· Winner: ICM
· Runners-up: MGP Ingredients; Hill’s Pet Nutrition; Cargill

Big League Bio Rookie - Honoring startup success stories in Kansas

· Winner: CyDex
· Runners-up: NanoScale Corporation; CritiTech

Innovative Program - Highlighting entrepreneurial or educational programs that foster human capital development

· Winner: KTEC PIPELINE
· Runners-up: JCCC Biotechnology Program; KU Metro Student Bioscience Institute and Bioscience Continuing Education; OneKC WIRED