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KansasBio Forms Founding Board of Directors
and Launches Membership Drive

Topeka, Kansas ( June 24, 2004) — The Kansas Bioscience Organization (KansasBio) has formed its founding board of directors and launched a drive for membership. KansasBio is a statewide educational and advocacy organization focused on: serving as the voice of biosciences in Kansas ; accelerating the growth of the human, animal, plant and industrial biosciences; enhancing the state's bioscience business and research climate; and attracting and retaining bioscience talent and companies.

“This is a critical time in the evolution of the Kansas bioscience community,” said
Tom Giarla, Chairman of KansasBio and President of JRH Biosciences in Lenexa. “The momentum building from the recent enactment of the Kansas Economic Growth Act’s Bioscience Initiative confirms that the time is right for the academic, economic development, research and bioscience industry interests to come together to ensure that the bioscience community in Kansas can thrive.”

The 19-member founding board of directors represents: the human, animal, plant and industrial biosciences; small, medium and large bioscience companies; research universities and community colleges; state economic development and regional research organizations; and the major geographic areas in the state with bioscience organizations. The board of directors includes representatives of the following organizations (Kansas location):

First announced by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in March 2003, the formation of KansasBio began with two studies sponsored by the founders of KansasBio, the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) and the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI). The studies assessed the characteristics of the Kansas bioscience community and interest statewide for a formal bioscience organization. The results indicated overwhelming support across the state for the formation of KansasBio and drove the resulting structure and purpose of the organization. The studies identified more than 160 bioscience companies with 11,000 to 13,000 bioscience employees and approximately 8,500 bioscience employees associated with the state universities. The bioscience industry and research community can be found throughout the state and is concentrated in eastern Kansas (65 percent) with Johnson County housing 44 percent of the bioscience industry in the state. The bioscience areas represented by industry, as determined by Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes, include: biotechnology research and testing (49 percent), medical devices (24 percent), drugs and pharmaceuticals (20 percent), agricultural and industrial chemicals (6 percent), and healthcare software (1 percent).

“The time is right, the time is now for KansasBio,” said Tracy Taylor, founding board member and President and CEO of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation. “The call to action across the state is clear. KansasBio is prepared to work closely with the Kansas Bioscience Authority, state government, and regional organizations to ensure that the Kansas Economic Growth Act’s Bioscience Initiative achieves the potential that our lawmakers envisioned.”

KansasBio is seeking members from across the state to help shape the organization and the growing bioscience community in Kansas. Potential members can apply for membership online at http://www.kansasbio.org. Some of the immediate benefits of membership include access to value-added programs geared to addressing the needs of the growing bioscience community and raising awareness about the biosciences in Kansas; networking and collaboration opportunities across industry and academia; and group purchasing programs that have the potential to generate substantial business savings for members via the association’s participation in the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s BIO Solutions program.

“KansasBio brings our state and regional efforts a new means of spurring the growth of our bioscience business and research base,” said Bill Duncan, founding board member and President of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute. “With KansasBio serving as the central, grassroots resource on the biosciences in Kansas, our chances of success are that much better.”

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About KansasBio

The Kansas Bioscience Organization (KansasBio) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization formed to serve as the voice of the bioscience community in Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, Kansas, KansasBio is affiliated with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), headquartered in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Council of State Bioscience Affiliates. For more information about becoming a member of KansasBio and shaping the growth of the bioscience community in Kansas, please visit http://www.kansasbio.org or contact KansasBio at info@kansasbio.org.