Weekly Policy Update: CBSA Attends the 2019 BIO International Convention

Last week CBSA President and CEO Jennifer Jones Paton and Vice President Emily Roberts attended the 2019 BIO International Convention in Philadelphia. The event brings together over 16,000 attendees from around the world for educational sessions, networking events, and partnering meetings. For the CBSA team, it’s a great opportunity to connect with industry partners, biotechnology companies, and other state associations to discuss collaboration opportunities and share best practices.

During the Convention, CBSA participated in the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) meeting where BIO leadership shared state and federal government affairs updates. There was also a robust discussion about some concerning legislative and policy proposals threatening protections for intellectual property and how the industry is working to mitigate these proposals and educate policymakers about the patent system.

CBSA Vice President Emily Roberts, Colorado BioGENEius Challenge competitor Spoorthy Reddy, and CBSA President and CEO Jennifer Jones Paton.

CBSA also congratulated Spoorthy Reddy from Fairview High School in Boulder for advancing to the final round of the 2019 BioGENEius Challenge. The BioGENEius Challenge is the premier competition for high school students from across the globe that recognizes outstanding research and innovation in biotechnology. We are so proud to have Spoorthy representing the drive and commitment we see in our students in Colorado.

Finally, during the event BIO released a new report entitled Transforming Ideas into Advances: Best Practices in State and Regional Bioscience Economic Development Initiatives. The publication aims to identify the key state legislative and administrative efforts needed to create, cultivate and sustain the bioscience industry. The full report can be found here.

Categories: CBSA News