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BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Central Maryland, today announced the launch of a new service offering: the Startup Package for Client Companies. The new package is designed to provide early-stage biohealth companies in Central Maryland with access to critical professional services – including corporate legal guidance, intellectual property, banking, accounting, payer and strategy, and grant support – as an enhanced benefit to working with BHI.

“We are proud to offer this service to our startup clients seeking to commercialize biohealth products,” said Richard Bendis, President & CEO. “BHI aims to facilitate the development of commercially viable health-related products and companies. Providing access to these professional services is a critical step towards helping our biohealth startup clients in achieving this goal.”

BHI has partnered with a supporting network of professional service providers that share the same vision for growing Maryland’s biohealth sector, including Venable LLP, M&T Bank, Aronson, Miles & Stockbridge, InHouse Patent Counsel, Science Sherpa, Center for Medical Technology Policy, ADVI, and BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting. These firms understand the nature and needs of startup companies, and offer preferred rates for client companies.

One of the under-appreciated features of the San Diego innovation ecosystem is the increasing significance of its proximity to one of North America’s most dynamic manufacturing hubs, Baja California, and in particular, Tijuana.

In 2006 my research team at UC San Diego published a bilingual report on the potential synergies between the innovation economy on the U.S. side of the border and the increasing manufacturing capabilities, engineering, and technical skills on the Mexican side. The cluster of manufacturing expertise includes companies in Tijuana that specialize in producing medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.

Richard Bendis and BioHealth Innovation were among the small businesses and individuals honored by the US Small Business Administration at the 2014 Tibbetts awards. Winners of the award have been critical in supporting the SBIR/STTR program in many different ways and are at the forefront of driving innovation. Read the full PR Newswire press release here.

The BHI SBIR/STTR Federal Funding Assistance Program offers biohealth companies support in preparing applications for federal funding inclusive of SBIRs, STTRs, and other federal government awards. Companies submit their federal funding concepts and receive pre-proposal feedback to help troubleshoot and strengthen your application. Further support from professional consultants and service providers is available to assist in improving your application.

For more information on the program, contact Ethan Byler.

– BHI offers program that guides biohealth startups in securing federal funding –  

ROCKVILLE AND BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, June 10, 2014 – BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) announced today that two local biohealth companies to which it has provided strategic assistance, N5 Sensors, Inc. and BioDatomics, have secured Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. N5 Sensors, a BHI client, received two awards: one from the Enivronmental Protection Agency (EPA) and one from the National Science Foundation (NSF). BioDatomics, which participated in a federal funding assistance program offered by BHI, secured an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)¹.  The U.S. federal government’s SBIR program encourages domestic small businesses to engage in federal research and development that has the potential for commercialization. The SBIR program empowers these companies to develop their trade and provides a path to profitability.  

“BHI is dedicated to supporting start-up biohealth companies in Central Maryland in their submission of competitive SBIR applications,” said Ethan Byler, Director, Innovation Programs, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. “We congratulate N5 Sensors and BioDatomics on receiving SBIR grants from the EPA, NSF and the NIH, respectively.”

N5 Sensors of Rockville, which is developing a new generation of chemical sensors that can detect harmful chemicals mixed in air in very small quantities, recently announced that the EPA has issued a SBIR Phase I grant to the company for its low-power, small form-factor benzene sensors for exposure monitoring using mobile devices. The $100,000 grant will support N5’s work developing sensors that can detect small amounts of benzene in the air. A University of Maryland, College Park spin-off, N5 Sensors, Inc. has engaged BHI to support its commercial strategy. N5 has also recently been awarded a Phase I SBIR from the NSF to develop chip-scale carbon monoxide and ammonia sensors.

The NCIIA 19th annual conference–Open 2015–will be held March 20-21 in Washington, D.C. The conference will cover all aspects of tech entrepreneurship in higher education. Specific topics include program models, student perspectives, and entrepreneurship in low-resource settings. Call for Proposals now open: deadline 9/10.

About the Conference:

March 20-21, Washington, D.C.

NCIIA is dedicated to fostering an emerging generation of young inventors and entrepreneurs driven to improve life for people and the planet. Our Open conferences gather together engaged faculty and university students from across multiple disciplines to share stories, start new collaborations and learn best practices in technology entrepreneurship education.

FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014 8:00 am

Emerging Strategies for the Production and Characterization of Biosimilars

The biomanufacturing industry faces an unprecedented challenge with the emergence of biosimilars.  The pathway to approval for biosimilars is a fluid process and several key aspects are still not determined.  The University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will deliver a one-day symposium on the current trends of characterization and production of biosimilars.  On Friday, June 13, 2014 at 8:30 am join the thought-leaders, policy-makers, and creators of biosimilars as we present current trends, ideas, and predictions.