| |
|
|
Kansas Bioscience Initiative:
Economic Growth through Discovery & Innovation
Background
On April 19, 2004, Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law the Kansas Economic Growth Act, after it was overwhelmingly passed by the Kansas House of Representative (121-2) and the Kansas Senate (38-2). The passage of the act demonstrates Kansas’ pioneering spirit and commitment to advancing the state’s bioscience industry and research base. With more than a $500 million investment over the next 10-12 years, Kansas will build off the state’s homegrown strengths in the biosciences and ensure the growth of bioscience-related jobs and economic prosperity. The Kansas Bioscience Initiative will all the state to recruit the best and the brightest people to the state’s universities, facilitate the expansion of the bioscience industry base, build a high quality, competitive bioscience workforce, and foster a technologically rich environment where the products of bioscience-related research and development can be turned into jobs.
National Biosciences
- The bioscience industry as a whole is experiencing exponential growth with the biotechnology industry growing at roughly 12 percent per year and the pharmaceutical industry growing more than 6 percent per year.
- The U.S. Federal Reserve and other sources estimate that the biosciences will make up 15 to 18 percent of our economy during the next 20 years.
- The bioscience industry invests heavily in research and development, spending an estimated $8 billion more than the National Institutes of Health’s annual research budget.
- Kansas’ investment in the biosciences is comparable to the states that have staked their claims on the future of the bioscience industry by dedicating hundreds of millions of state dollars to drive research and commercialization including: Georgia ($350M), Wisconsin ($317M), Texas ($850M), Ohio ($1.6B), Missouri ($190M), and Washington ($750M).
Kansas Biosciences
- More than 20,000 jobs in Kansas are associated with the state’s bioscience companies and research universities.
- Kansas is home to more than 160 bioscience companies employing 11,000 to 13,000 people.
- Kansas ’ universities employ more than 8,500 bioscience researchers and related staff.
- Kansas is one of the few states to house strengths across numerous bioscience areas (human, animal, plant, industrial/environmental).
- Kansas’ statewide bioscience strengths represent a number of niches within biomedical research, drug development and manufacturing, biological materials, medical supplies and equipment, animal health, plant biotechnology, biomaterials, and homeland security.
- The Kansas City metropolitan area’s commitment to the biosciences has brought national attention to Kansas.
- Close proximity to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri is a strong attractor for world-class scholars interested in conducting research at Kansas universities. On February 9, 2004, the Stowers Institute committed to building its Phase II campus of 1 million square feet that will employ more than 900 people in the Kansas City region.
The Kansas Bioscience Initiative
Kansas Bioscience Authority
The Kansas Economic Growth Act creates
the Kansas Bioscience Authority (BioAuthority) —
an independent authority of the state. The BioAuthority
will have the ability to develop the bioscience research
to commercialization continuum in the state, recruit
world-class scholars to Kansas universities, fund the
development of the necessary lab space and equipment
to conduct superior research in the biosciences, drive
technology transfer and the commercialization of bioscience
discoveries, and support the growth the bioscience industry
base. The BioAuthority may, where appropriate, administer
the research, commercialization and workforce development
programs described below.
Research & Commercialization
- The Kansas Bioscience Research Matching Funds Program - expands the state’s ability to attract federal research dollars by providing matching funds for federal research grants.
- The Kansas Bioscience Research and Development Voucher Program - encourages collaboration between industry and academia by providing funding to Kansas companies to engage in joint bioscience research projects in partnership with Kansas universities and colleges.
- The Bioscience Tax Investment Incentive Program - aids in the recruitment of bioscience companies to Kansas by making cash resources available to start-up companies experiencing a net operating loss.
- The Bioscience Development Financing Program - provides incentives to bioscience companies to expand and locate facilities in Kansas by creating Bioscience Development Districts.
- The Bioscience Research Facilities Program - funds the construction and ongoing maintenance of bioscience research facilities at and in association with Kansas universities with a goal of adding enough state-of-the-art bioscience research space to support the addition of the eminent and rising star scholars over 10 years. The Kansas Development Finance Authority is authorized to issue bonds on behalf of the BioAuthority to fund bioscience facilities. The Emerging Industry Investment Act will repay the bonds.
- The Kansas Bioscience Scholar Program - recruits an estimated 25 eminent and 35 rising star scholars to advance the state’s research expertise in the biosciences.
Workforce Development
- The Bioscience Academies Program funds
competitive grants to Kansas high schools for the
purposes of establishing bioscience academies to educate
the future bioscience workforce.
- The Bioscience Higher Education Program
funds competitive grants to Kansas universities and
colleges for the purpose of increasing the number
of students majoring in bioscience, science education
and math education.
Funding for the Authority
It is estimated that more than $500 million will be invested over a period of 10-12 years in the Emerging Industry Investment Fund , generated by a funding mechanism tied to future growth in the Kansas bioscience industry. |
|
