Be sure to tune in to 1360 AM WMNY from 3-6 p.m. today for the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s next TechVibe Radio Show. The Council’s Audrey Russo and Jonathan Kersting have star-studded cast of local technology entrepreneurs and business leaders lined up for you. Check it out:

John Manzetti from the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse

Maria Fagan/Lisa Casavant from Regulatory & Quality Solutions

Howison Schroeder from NeuroKinetics

Bryce Petit/Aaron Riley of Zeo Technologies

Plus, we’ll be spinning your favorite music between interviews. If you can’t tune in, stream it at Pittsburgh Business Radio.

SBIR Advance is an in-depth program covering all aspects necessary for writing winning grants to the federal government, specifically focused on, but not limited to the NIH. The program is designed to provide qualified life sciences entrepreneurs and early-stage research and development companies with:

- Grant application strategy development

- Proposal writing assistance

- One-on-one consultation and access to SBIR experts

Each workshop will include:

- An overview of the Federal SBIR program

- Tools and references to research specific application types

- Requirements to follow during proposal preparation and post-award guidelines

- Principal investigator requirements and company eligibility

- The internal agencies’ review process

- Each section of the SBIR proposal application in detail, including all forms

- Phase II product development plan preparation

- Basic accounting practices to follow when working with governmental entities (as well as establishing indirect rates and job costing techniques)

Immediately following the SBIR Advance workshop the entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with the SBIR consultants to answer any company-specific questions and immediately begin working on grant strategy relevant to their company’s stage of development.

Workshops are FREE to eligible participants. All training materials and meals are included. Space is limited to life sciences companies.

Questions & Applications:
Contact Uwe Winzen, uwinzen@plsg.com, 412-770-1647

The nine new company investments include; Biomed Research & Technologies, Inc., Blacktown NC LLC, Caliber InfoSolutions, Inc., Chronic Health Metrics, Circadiance LLC, Complexa, LLC, Flexicath Ltd., NeuroInterventional Therapeutics, Inc. and  Wright Therapy Products. Learn more about the companies here.

The PLSG’s $13.2 million in direct investments in nearly 60 companies has attracted more than $400 million in additional capital for the region. The PLSG continues to propel the growth of western Pennsylvania’s life sciences economy by enabling the commercialization of promising life sciences technologies through its Investment and Executive Programs.

According to the PLSG, it has:

- invested $13.2 million directly into 57 companies to help leverage over $400 million in additional capital. 

- assisted 283 clients/companies through its Executive-in-Residence program.

- invested $15.2 million in venture capital funds to help leverage an additional $110 million in total funding.

- provided 27 early stage companies and venture capital and life sciences organizations with office and laboratory space in our incubator. 

- assisted 13 life sciences companies with relocating to our region and is working with other companies who would like to establish operations in southwestern Pennsylvania. 

- leveraged $2.4 million in federal grant money to help provide core and customized life sciences specific workforce training to over 6,000 trainees since September, 2005. 

-helped create 5,000 jobs directly/indirectly including university faculty and facilities. (400 jobs created in invested companies and 1,200+ jobs in PLSG active companies/clients)

The PLSG’s SBIR Advance program has assisted nearly 100 companies with their federal grant strategies. To date, these companies have received over $14 million in federal grant funding.  28 executives have participated in the PLSG EIR program: seven are currently active at PLSG and 17 former EIRs remain in the region.  The regional life sciences company formation rate has increased from 2-3 per year to 15-20 new companies per year.

Whew! Keep up the great work.

So check this out. In 2007, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG) and BioEnterprise of Cleveland announced a strategic collaboration to work together in creating a “Biosciences Tech Belt” linking the biosciences assets of the adjacent metro areas.  The objective of the collaboration is to leverage the existing resources of both regions to draw greater levels of funding and talent into the areas.

In 2007, the area had significant success in bioscience venture activity:

• The combined regions drew $343 million in healthcare venture investment in 2007 across 45 companies;
• The regions boasted eight company exits, including those of Renal Solutions (Fresenius), MemberHealth (Universal American), and USB (Affymetrix) in 2007, and several additional in 2008, including WholeHealth (Walgreen), NDI Medical (Medtronic), and Theken (Integra);
• PLSG and BioEnterprise have made numerous cross-introductions of venture capital firms and initiated the exploration of 18 company collaborations;
• Several venture firms from each region have opened offices in the adjacent metro area including Chrysalis Ventures, Draper Triangle Ventures, and iNetworks;
• Finally, the regions have hosted and leveraged four healthcare venture investment conferences in thee last years including the Global Healthcare Investing Conference (IBF Conferences), Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit, The Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Conference, and the 3 Rivers Venture Fair.

“The ultimate measure of successful biosciences business development is the amount of venture capital dollars flowing into a region,” said Baiju R. Shah, President & CEO of BioEnterprise.  “By marketing the significant resources contained in the “Biosciences Tech Belt” region, we have increased interest among national venture investors in both of our geographies.  Year one indicates our strategy is sound.”

John W. Manzetti, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse said, “We have seen our partnership grow to the point where the venture firms think of one of us when visiting the other.  Through our efforts, we have created a successful mindshare and we are pleased to see the significant potential for an increased flow of capital into our combined region.  This clustering is working and our combined portfolio companies will benefit from the increased deal flow.”

The “Biosciences Tech Belt” initiative is part of a larger “Tech Belt” initiative designed to link the synergistic resources of the Pittsburgh and Cleveland region across all industries.  The PLSG-BioEnterprise collaboration is the first initiative towards the broader “Tech Belt” effort.

Company: Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse Web Site: www.plsg.com Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Description: The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG) provides capital investments and customized company formation and business growth services to our region’s life sciences enterprises. Read more.   Company: Renal Solutions Web Site: www.renalsolutionsinc.com Location: Warrendale, PA 15086 Description: Renal Solutions, Inc., is an integrated medical device and service company dedicated to transforming the kidney dialysis therapy model for patients affected by chronic kidney disease through the design of innovative sorbent-based hemodialysis systems. Read more.   Company: Draper Triangle Ventures Web Site: www.drapertriangle.com Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Description: Draper Triangle Ventures is a venture capital and business acceleration firm that focuses on information technology; automation technology; Internet technology (infrastructure, content and commerce); advanced education; telecommunications; medical; and advanced software technology companies. Read more.