PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life-saving cures, pioneering medical innovations and groundbreaking health technologies will frame the conversation at Oregon Bio 2016: The Bioscience Landscape, which will bring together the best and brightest entrepreneurial minds for its two-day annual event.
“The local bioscience landscape is changing with the fast pace of device and drug development and digital health in Oregon,” said Denise McCarty, executive director of Oregon Bioscience Association. “This is the only event of this size offered in Oregon to examine how emerging biotechnologies positively impact capital flow, collaboration across sectors, the industry’s growing workforce and the rapidly-evolving life sciences environment.”
Innovative leaders from Columbia Sportswear, Cambia Health Solutions, Genentech, Zoetic Data, Inc. and Modern Edge will speak before an anticipated sell-out crowd at Oregon Bio’s signature event on Oct. 20-21 at Reed College.
The roster of keynote speakers includes:
- Charles Austen Angell, president and CEO, Modern Edge
- Woody Blackford, vice president of Innovation and Design, Columbia Sportswear
- Brodie Dychinco, general manager of Convenient Care Delivery, Cambia Health Solutions
- Gary Nagamori, life sciences futurist and strategic advisor, Zoetic Data Inc.
- Julius Pryor III, director of Innovation, Diversity and Inclusion, Genentech
- Sloane Salzburg, senior director, Horizon Government Affairs
During the first day of the conference, three key futurists will explore some of the hottest topics in today’s business environments—from innovations in product design and big data projects in healthcare to the leading capital investments likely to impact our state. Attendees will also hear company pitches in a ‘speed-dating’ format allowing only 10 minutes per company followed by a targeted question-and-answer session and feedback from the investor panel. The Company Pitch Showcase is sponsored by the Oregon Translational Research and Development Institute’s Bioscience Incubator.
New this year will be the Research Fast Pitch, a forum for basic and applied researchers to share their work in a unique format with precisely-timed, 3-minute presentations designed to showcase the emerging impact of research in the local bioscience ecosystem.
During the second day of the conference, the Develop Oregon track will bring together stakeholders from across the state to examine positive programs and policies to enable workforce growth and accelerate and improve Oregon’s business environment for biotechnology and life science companies. A parallel track focusing on Diversity and Inclusion will explore Oregon’s current landscape and examine the development and expansion of strong diversity programs, with particular emphasis on the benefits a diverse workforce on Oregon’s bottom line.
The Platinum sponsors for Oregon Bio 2016: The Bioscience Landscape are the Oregon Talent Council and Oregon Health & Science University.
About Oregon Bioscience Association
The Oregon Bioscience Association advocates for its members and the industry to create opportunity through advocacy, cultivation and education. Oregon Bio promotes the growth and quality of the bioscience industry in Oregon and continually seeks ways to support sustainability and growth in the life science, bioscience, biotechnology and device manufacturing industries and to create acceleration initiatives so members can achieve their full scientific, economic and social potential. Oregon Bio, a nonprofit membership association, is the Oregon affiliate of BIO, Biotechnology Innovation Organization.
In 2014 Oregon’s jobs in biotech grew faster than most other U.S. markets. The association’s most current economic impact study showed that in 2014 Oregon Oregon’s growing bioscience industry reached nearly 14,000 jobs across 845 state business establishments. State bioscience companies have increased employment by 3.5 percent since 2012, with job growth coming from four of the five industry subsectors. Oregon’s research universities are especially focused in the biosciences relative to other fields with their nearly $456 million in bioscience academic R&D in 2014 accounting for 68 percent of all academic research compared with 61 percent for the nation. In 2015, NIH research funding to Oregon institutions totaled nearly $289 million. Venture capital investments in Oregon’s bioscience-related companies have increased in recent years and since 2012 have totaled just over $62 million. More about the Oregon Bioscience Association can be found at www.oregonbio.org.
