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Biotech/Biomed Facts for Successful Conventions and Meetings in Cleveland

Biotechnology + Biomedical Industry

Measured by funds received from the National Institutes of Health, the biotechnology and biomedical research base in Cleveland is continually growing. The city's research increased by 32.8% from 2000 to 2003. Between 2001 and 2004, Northeast Ohio biotechnology and biomedical firms received more than 134 million in venture capital funding. Cleveland's research base funding for biotechnology and biomedical industries has tripled in recent years from $50million to $150 million.

Greater Cleveland is a powerhouse in the biomedical/biotechnology industry.

Invacare Corporation, headquartered in Elyria, just outside of Cleveland, is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative medical products that promote recovery and active lifestyles for people with disabilities and those requiring home healthcare.

Throughout its history, Cleveland has been known as a center of manufacturing excellence. In recent times, its traditional driver industries in the manufacturing sector, such as metalworking, plastic products/chemicals and motor vehicles and equipment, have been bolstered by a major influx of biomedical investment. The biomedical sector, made up of manufacturers of medical devices and supplies, healthcare and biotechnology firms and their suppliers, is growing at an extraordinary rate.

Northeast Ohio is home to more than 450 bioscience companies in the manufacturing, service and distribution sectors, research laboratories and scores of incubator facilities and technology transfer centers, including Omeris' Northeast Ohio business affiliate BioEnterprise.

All evidence indicates that Northeast Ohio has what it takes to succeed in this high-tech industry of the future. Industry building blocks directly related to the growth of the biomedical manufacturing industry that are abundantly present in Northeast Ohio include:

  • An outstanding complex of healthcare institutions
  • Strong and increasingly well-funded research activity
  • Nationally-ranked educational programs in biomedical engineering
  • A deeply rooted tradition of skilled manufacturing as well as excellence in plastics, polymers, materials handling and prototype development
  • A critical base of core companies with worldwide reach, along with a cadre of small to mid-sized companies, many of which are developing homegrown technologies.

The region's biomedical companies also do much of their materials purchasing in Ohio, supporting other industries. These same companies cited the following positive factors about being in Northeast Ohio:

  • A good source of technical people
  • Competitive labor rates
  • Strong medical community
  • Good research & development capabilities
  • An industrial base offering quick prototype turnarounds and long-term supply stability
  • Good community of medical product companies that can assist with regulatory issues
  • Strong transportation system
  • Strong supportive state and local government business development programs

Incubators

Technology incubators, where biomedical technologies spring to life as new companies, are available to biomedical entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio as places to develop homegrown products. BioEnterprise, a technology incubator launched specifically for biotech/biomedical startups, opened in University Circle in 1997 as a collaboration between The Cleveland Clinic, the University Hospitals Health System, Case Western Reserve University, and the Summa Health System. Four Ohio Department of Development Edison Technology Incubators and NASA's Lewis Incubator for Technology (LIFT) are also filled with high-tech startups, many in the biomedical field.

Partnerships

Economic partnerships are promoted through an active network of involved organizations, including:

Civic organizations like the Greater Cleveland Partnership and Team NEO are also working to grow the industry in Northeast Ohio.

Anchors

Northeast Ohio's biomedical/biotechnology industry base is anchored by three firms, each with annual sales ranging from $477 million to more than $1 billion.

Together, these three firms employ about 3,700 people in Northeast Ohio and 16,000 worldwide.

Cleveland's BioTech/BioMed Community

Ben Venue Laboratories (subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim, GmbH)

  • Known as the world's oldest, largest, and most experienced privately-contracted developer and manufacturer of sterile pharmaceuticals (antibiotics).
  • During World War II, Ben Venue Laboratories helped to save U.S. soldiers' lives by using freeze-dried blood plasma.

Invacare Corporation

  • A leading manufacturer and distributor of home medical equipment (HME) products with 65% of the market share in oxygen therapy delivery.
  • The company has grown to more than 5,500 employees throughout the world. Sales topped $1.4 billion in 2004.
  • Enjoys the leading market share position in a more than $6 billion worldwide market.

Philips Medical Systems

  • Founded in 1915 as Picker International, Marconi Medical Systems was acquired by Philips Medical Systems as a global leader in delivering clinically focused medical systems, services, and other information crucial to patient care.
  • North American operations posted 2004 revenues of $477.2 million. Philips Medical Systems employs 4,300 people, 800 in Northeast Ohio.
  • Organized into three businesses: Medical Imaging Equipment, Information Management and Heath Care Products.

STERIS Corporation

  • Founded in 1987 with an initial venture capital investment of $1.2 million, STERIS Corporation was profitable in three years.
  • Today the company is a leading provider of infection prevention, microbial reduction and therapy support systems, products, services and technologies to healthcare, scientific, research, food and industrial customers throughout the world.
  • Revenues in 2004 were up 3% to over $1.1 billion.
  • STERIS employs 1,600 people in the region and more than 5,000 worldwide.

BioEnterprise (Omeris NEO affiliate)

  • BioEnterprise is the Northeast Ohio region business affiliate of Omeris (formerly the Edison BioTechnology Center, supported by the Ohio Department of Development's Thomas Edison Program)
  • It is a key biomedical resource that works closely with biomedical and biotech companies, medical research institutions and development organizations to commercialize research and foster company formation and growth.
  • Some of the services provided by BioEnterprise include: bioscience management guidance, relationships with world-class research and clinical institutions, access to bioscience venture capital and private equity firms, and a network of regional business capabilities including technical services, equipment, professional service providers, and flexible development space.

NEOBio

  • A membership-based organization dedicated to connecting bioscience entrepreneurs and companies in Northeast Ohio.

Healthcare/Educational Partnerships

Cleveland's mix of assets provides fertile ground for growth in the biomedical field including an outstanding complex of healthcare institutions and nationally ranked education programs in biomedical engineering. Northeast Ohio biomedical companies develop strong collaborative relationships with local universities and hospitals.

Northeast Ohio's three biggest medical research institutions are moving forward in the development of a "biopark" for businesses and research facilities. Case Western Reserve University has selected a Cleveland-based major development firm to establish the Cleveland Biotechnology Park. The park, dubbed the "West Quad," will provide a site for start-up businesses, expanding companies, research facilities and collaborative efforts among Case, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and others.

Case Western Reserve University's (CWRU) School of Engineering

  • The School's educational programs are consistently ranked among the nations best. U.S. News and World Report in 2006 ranked the undergraduate program 36th and the graduate program 42nd
  • When established in 1968, the Department of Biomedical Engineering was the first of its kind in the world. Today it is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the U.S. Its undergraduate program is ranked sixth nationally by U.S. News and World Report while the graduate program is ranked ninth.
  • Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is a research leader in robotics, agile manufacturing, rotating manufacturing, rotating machinery diagnostics and tribology.
  • As of 2006, CWRU's School of Medicine and its partner, University Hospitals of Cleveland, ranked 9th nationally (out of 113) in research funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation - Lerner Research Institute

  • Employs more than 240 principal investigators, project scientists and research associates, 250 postdoctoral fellows and supports more than 100 graduate students in 9 departments serving 10 research centers.

Kent State University - Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute

  • Established in 1965, it's the nation's oldest, largest and most comprehensive research program in the field of liquid crystals.
  • Based at the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, the Center for Advanced Liquid Crystalline Optical Materials (ALCOM) consolidates the internationally recognized and complementary expertise of scientists from Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Akron and integrates their activities with liquid crystal research worldwide
  • Recognized for the breadth of its basic and applied research and depth of its applications, Kent holds dozens of patents in the field of liquid crystal displays and has an active licensing program involving large and small companies throughout the world.

The University of Akron

  • Offers undergraduate and graduate-level education in biomedical engineering.
  • Department of Biomedical Engineering works closely with the University's world-class College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering.

University Hospital Health System  - The Center for Clinical Research

  • Teaching hospital affiliated with Case Western Reserve University since 1895. Together, they form the largest center for biomedical research in the State of Ohio

Successful Cleveland Meetings

  • The 8th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference - The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
    • Assistance provided by the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland

  • International Society of Biomechanics 2005 Biannual World Congress
    • Assistance provided by the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland

  • Cleveland Clinic - A National Dialogue on Biomedical Conflicts of Interest and Innovation Management
    • Topics of the conference will include:
      • Research, Innovation and Safety: Doing the Right Thing
      • Guiding Principles: Where are We Headed? 
      • Applications in the Real World: Defining Boundaries and Managing Innovation 
      • Conflicts, Compliance and Enforcement: Government Priorities and Initiatives 
      • Guidelines and Performance: Creating a Culture of Ethics
    • There will be various speakers from Universities/Organizations across the country including Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, Department of Justice, NEJM, and Eli Lilly

  • Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit
    • For the third year in a row, the Cleveland Clinic was the site of an unprecedented, international gathering of decision makers from throughout the health care sector. The 2005 Medical Innovation Summit: Bench to Bedside and Back convened CEOs from industry, providers, government and venture investors.

  • 7th Symposium on Footwear Biomechanics
    • The International Society of Biomechanics Technical Group on Footwear Biomechanics held their 7th Symposium on Footwear Biomechanics from July 27-29, 2005 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. This was a unique opportunity for a large number of footwear researchers and students to participate in an ISB technical group meeting at a relatively low cost in North America. The symposium attracted 129 registrants and had a scientific program of high quality.

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