Surprise and Catapult Bio partner to grow local bioindustry/jobs
SURPRISE, AZ (March 23, 2009) The City of Surprise and Catapult Bio, Inc. are partnering to advance the life science industry in Surprise and the west valley through a strategic partnership agreement announced today.
"The partnership with the City of Surprise is very exciting for Catapult Bio,” said Catapult Bio CEO MaryAnn Guerra. “It is important for us as a new organization that we foster relationships with the local communities to leverage the resources of the Valley and to accelerate new business development in the life sciences.”
"The City of Surprise is attracting life science start-ups which are viable for commercialization, and this aligns with the mission of Catapult Bio,” says Catapult Bio President Dr. Ron King. “Surprise offers tremendous opportunities for life science companies. They are committed to helping these companies grow and we want to be there to help them.”
"This agreement will serve as a major piece of our Economic Development team’s bioindustry attraction efforts,” says Surprise City Manager Randy Oliver. “We want to create the kind of life sciences industry cluster that will benefit Catapult’s mission and connect these companies with Catapult’s many resources, while at the same time improving the community’s economic base through the creation of high-quality jobs.”
The strategic partnership agreement includes performing due diligence on life science companies, strategic advice, joint branding, and assistance with creating a local life sciences-related advisory committee. The Surprise Economic Development Department is seeking federal stimulus money to create a local innovation center to launch biotech companies that Catapult Bio could bring to the community.
With offices in Phoenix and Los Angeles, Catapult Bio, a spin-off of TGen Accelerators LLC, is focused on accelerating commercial bioindustry projects. With the assistance of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), Catapult recently secured $14 million from Abraxis Bioscience with the aim of providing funding and other resources to life science discoveries with commercial potential.
For more information about the strategic partnership agreement, please contact Surprise Economic Development Manager Jeanine Jerkovic at (623) 222-3322, or by email jeanine.jerkovic@surpriseaz.com. For more information about Catapult Bio visit www.catapultbio.org, or email at info@catapultbio.org. |