Page 27 - Innovation Delaware 2021

instrumentation,” says ALOK PATEL, associate director, external relations for DBI, which helps join entities doing research with that expensive instrumentation. For example, the DNA Sequencing & Genotyping Center at DBI is one of the only labs on the East Coast with all the equipment needed for complete DNA sequencing. Companies and researchers from all over the world send samples to DBI for analysis every day, says Patel.
“The Delaware Biotechnology Institute plays a critical role in serving the life science research ecosystem across the state by connecting scientific talent and resources with the needs of the local industry and partner academic institutions" says JOHN KOH, director of DBI.
Delaware’s small size fosters the sharing of space and resources, which reduces costs and increases creativity, says MELISSA A. HARRINGTON, director of the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research at Delaware State University (DSU).
“Because we are small, we’re a pretty close-knit community of researchers,” says Harrington. Through $20 million in recent funding from organizations like the National Institutes of Health, DSU is giving a boost to new scientific initiatives by providing researchers time and space to develop their work before having to seek additional funding. Projects underway at the school include research in nanotechnology, neurodegeneration and quantum sensing.
If those initiatives turn into new businesses, they need places to locate. Nonprofits like the Delaware Innovation Space are there to help. Based on the site of the DuPont Experimental Station campus, the Innovation Space is 100,000 square feet of multi-use lab space for industrial biotech, advanced materials, chemical ingredients, renewable energy, nutrition, and health care science-based businesses and ventures.
For relatively low cost, startup companies can set up shop, using the equipment and space already there, says BILL PROVINE, founder and CEO.
INNOVATION DELAWARE 25
Science & Tech Advisors:
A NEW WAY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF INNOVATORS
When the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) first launched as the state’s economic development agency in 2017, it commissioned a study to determine how it
could best support the growth of Delaware’s innovation economy.
“One key recommendation was to have some kind of innovation counsel to advise the state
and create a singular voice in identifying the needs from a policy or funding perspective,” says
Ariel Gruswitz, DPP’s director of innovation.
That recommendation became reality last year with the creation of the Science & Tech Advisors. It’s a group of 32 representatives from various business sectors — including bioscience, chemistry, health care and more — and higher education institutions. The advisors report to the DPP board, which is co-chaired by Gov. John Carney.
The Science & Tech Advisors are set to be a real difference maker in terms of attracting companies to Delaware, or keeping them there, Gruswitz says. “We’re going to drill down and look at the data to determine, what are the pain points? Where are we losing companies that aren’t making it to the growth phase or leaving the state?”
The group has set itself four strategic goals:
• Identify and implement state policies and programs to accelerate innovation
• Articulate and execute a competitive and robust federal funding strategy
• Increase quality and quantity of R&D activity
• Improve resources, awareness and culture for all stages of the innovation ecosystem
The advisors’ first meeting was convened in December of 2020, and the group has now split into subgroups that will look at each
of the strategic goals through the lens of what’s needed by startups, growth-stage and mature companies.
“Our goal is to have phase one of our recommendations ready to share with the DPP board at the July board meeting,” Gruswitz says. “To the extent that there are state-specific policies or programs, those would be ready for us to start communicating in the late summer or early fall.”