05 Mar Governor Doyle Pledges Support for Stem Cell Research and Biotechnology Advancements
Madison, WI – Governor James Doyle was joined by University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley along with leaders from Wisconsin’s biotechnology industry in pledging their full support for the continued growth and development of Wisconsin ’s biotechnology industry.
The Governor, addressing a special meeting of the Wisconsin Biotechnology Association, proclaimed his full support for the continuation of stem cell research. “I will veto any legislation that will prohibit research that can save lives and provides for the state’s economic growth.” Doyle’s spoke about his mother’s fight against Parkinson’s disease that demonstared his emphatic support on this issue.
“We need to stimulate growth in Wisconsin and develop more high-paying jobs,” noted Doyle, who pointed out “the technology industry, is still relatively young and that Wisconsin has always been a state with a deep tradition for creativity, innovation and hard-working people.”
The message was enthusiastically received by the audience. “ Governor Doyle hit all the right notes in his comments today to the UW-Madison Biotechnology community.” commented, Allen Dines, assistant director UW Industry Relations. “The Governor really gets it. I came away feeling he will do everything in his power to maintain and enhance UW’s excellence in science and research.”
The event, co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Biotechnology Association (WBA) and the UW Biotechnology Center, was an opportunity for the Governor to meet and listen to Wisconsin’s leaders in the biotech community and to share his thoughts with them. The agenda included brief remarks by UW Chancellor John Wiley, WBA President and President of Pel-Freez Clinical Systems in Brown Deer Frank Langley, Managing Director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) Carl Gulbrandsen, William Link of Fisher Scientific, and UW Biotechnology Center Director Professor Michael Sussman.
Both the Governor,Wiley and others stressed the importance of education and emphasized that the University of Wisconsin is at the center of economic development in Wisconsin.
To further promote the benefits of biotechnology to Wisconsin ’s traditional business community, Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), announced that WARF has pledged to visit every major company in Wisconsin in the next 12 months to discuss how breakthroughs in the life sciences can benefit businesses in industries as diverse as farms to manufacturing.
WARF is a major force in Wisconsin ’s economic growth. The UW was recently ranked sixth in the nation for the patents it holds and number one among Big Ten Universities. Last year WARF was involved with filing180 patent applications compared to Michigan which filed 39. Wisconsin also now ranks first in the nation in public funding of research.
Doyle added, “We can make Wisconsin the center of biotechnology in the world.” Life science companies face significant challenges beyond technology. Doyle wants to help by creating initiatives and programs for entrepreneurs and start-ups that make it simpler, friendly, and more flexible for businesses to grow in Wisconsin. The Office of Entrepreneurial Development is a proposed department introduced by Doyle to make it easier to access resources and information in the state.