Spring 2011 issue of Horizons

an active venture capital initiative that provides a full spectrum of capital availability. MOBIO reports that in order to maximize the enormous potential rewards offered by the rapidly expanding life sciences sector, Missouri is targeting six fields for advancement:

with angel investors and venture capital investment, are important to attract and support early stage companies. He says the Kansas City area saw two new incubators open their doors in 2010—the Bioscience and Technology Business Center in Lawrence, Kansas and the Regional Ennovation Center in Independence, Missouri. Two other facilities are expected to open in 2011—the KU Medical Center Biomedical Entrepreneurial Research Accelerator and the KBA Venture Accelerator in Olathe. These new facilities complement the existing incubators in Columbia, MO, St. Joseph, MO, Manhattan, KS, Springfield, MO and Kansas City, MO. Getman also states that a recent positive development is the effort by both Kansas State University and the University of Missouri to increase their physical presence in the immediate metropolitan Kansas City area. The Kansas State Olathe Innovation Campus will open in 2011 to integrate education, research and entrepreneurship focused on animal health, food safety and security. Missouri Life Sciences Facts and Figures • Missouri is a part of the world’s most fertile cropland, which generates 75 percent of American farm productions. • Quality agriculture industry: Missouri ranks second nationally in the number of farms (105,000) and ranks in the top ten for production of every major crop and livestock category. • Missouri ranks second in plant genomics funding from the National Sciences Foundation; number five in total life sciences funding. • The top five sectors in the life sciences industry in Missouri, which account for 76.9% of jobs, include: physical, engineering and biological research; pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing; pesticide and other agriculture chemical manufacturing; medical laboratories;

• Animal Health and Nutrition • Plant Science and Technology • Pharmaceutical and Human Health • Industrial Biotechnology • Bioterrorism • Comparative Medicines

St. Louis Plant science is a major emphasis for the eastern half of Missouri. The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center works to develop new varieties of crops, ranging from cassava with improved nutritional qualities to disease-resistant and drought-tolerant plants. They are working toward new biofuels to create a sustainable energy source, as well as ways to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. William H. Danforth of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center states that “our goal is to improve nutrition, end starvation, preserve the environment, and build St. Louis as a center for plant science.” St. Louis-based Monsanto has also become a major force in the search for new ways to make agriculture more sustainable. The company is doing its part by developing better tools for farmers, including advanced hybrid and biotech seeds. Kansas City The organization dedicated to advancing life sciences in the Kansas City Region is the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute. Dan Getman of the institute reports that there is a major emphasis in the Kansas City area on animal sciences. He further notes that incubators, along

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