KTEC has announced it will continue its bioscience funding in a new structure at the University of Kansas. This will situate KTEC’s supported efforts in a new entity, the Biotechnology Innovation & Optimization Center (BIO Center). The BIO Center will consist primarily of personnel and other resources currently associated with the Product Development Core (PDC) within the Higuchi Bioscience Center (HBC) and will be under the direction of Dr. Roger Rajewski.

"The establishment of the BIO Center speaks to the foresight of Provost Richard Lariviere, Associate Vice-Provost George Wilson, and HBC Director Eli Michaelis to centralize drug development efforts within the University,” said Dr. Roger Rajewski. “These centralization efforts will lead to a decrease in redundancies and increased strategic impacts on cross-campus development projects. The Bio Center will continue to build on the history of economic development efforts of Prof. Valentino Stella and others as it enters this new era."

The primary purpose of the proposed reorganization is to centralize technology development efforts at the University of Kansas, Lawrence and the the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City.  The reorganization coincides with the retirement of the HBC Executive Director Dr. Charles Decedue and an organizational change within the university that combines Research and Graduate Studies under one office.

“The overall mission and vision will remain the same, to develop life enhancing pharmaceutical and biomedical technologies through applied physical and chemical based research, and successfully manage the commercialization of these technologies to become a regional economic development engine,” said University of Kansas Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. Richard Lariviere.

Centralization of these efforts include:  the Office of Therapeutics, Discovery and Development (Dr. Scott Weir), Technology Transfer (Jim Baxendale) and Business Outreach (Carey Novak) along with the KTEC supported BIO Center, will provide a focused approach for moving university technologies into the private sector. This will draw from pharmaceutical and biomedical research on both campuses thereby increasing the leverage of KTEC funds. BIO Center funding will support four general areas including: core development resources (laboratory personnel, equipment and supplies), technology transfer, seed funding and grant administration.

“On behalf of KTEC, we are pleased to continue our support of these outstanding bioscience research, development and commercialization efforts at the University of Kansas,” said Tracy Taylor, President and CEO of KTEC.