Photo Gallery: See how faculty and industry spark innovation
Over 40 Arizona bioscience industry representatives and University of Arizona researchers mingled at the fifth annual Faculty Industry Networking event in mid-November.
The first step to collaboration is that spark between like-minded people.
To foster those sparks, the BIO5 Institute collaborates with the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIOSA) each year to provide networking for U of A researchers and bioscience companies at the Faculty Industry Networking Event (FINE).
The annual event, co-sponsored by BIOSA and BIO5, encourages the advancement of biotech and bioscience ideas, products, and collaborative partnerships by connecting academic and industry innovators across life sciences, medicine, engineering, and computer and information sciences. Scientists and industry members who are either providing or seeking technical support services are also welcome to join. By bringing these people together, the hope is to spur conservations that could lead to grants or funding opportunities.
“Opportunities like the Faculty Industry Networking Event are critical for building trust and partnerships between academia and industry,” said Vignesh Subbian, associate director of the BIO5 Institute.
“Bringing together researchers, industry leaders, and students creates a communal environment that can lead to very meaningful connections, including some chance meetings. These interactions can spark innovative ideas, pave the way for new collaborations, and increase awareness of resources in our bioscience community from core research facilities at the U and A to local talent, commercialization opportunities, and even potential funding.”
This year saw a mix of attendees, from industry representatives working in biomedical technology and regulatory consulting, to faculty focused on creating partnerships, and doctoral students looking to learn about research core services.
We caught up with a few attendees to learn about their motivations to attend this event.
BIO5 member Hongmi Li (right), professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, and his lab study essential macromolecules to develop novel biochemical and cellular assays for different drug targets. Li was a first-time attendee looking to meet potential industry partners in drug discovery to develop products.
As a consultant at Palo Verde Clinical Research, Will Wimmer (left) assists researchers and companies in interacting with regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration. Having attended previous networking events, Wimmer wanted to meet highly motivated people and share how his company can help them with regulatory consulting, medical writing, and data management around drug discovery and clinical trials.
Duffy Elmer, engineering project manager at SynCardia Systems, was a first-time attendee seeking collaborators on a multi-disciplinary research project for the next generation of artificial hearts. He also wanted to learn about core facilities at the BIO5 Institute for more cost-effective research services.
Allison Tulino (left) and Daniel Benson (middle) are University of Arizona doctoral students working in the lab of BIO5 member Steven Goldman, professor of cardiology at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, on heart failure and regenerative medicine. Both are first-time attendees interested in meeting biosciences researchers, such as Barbara Fransway, manager of genomic research services at the Arizona Genetics Core.
Fransway sees outreach at this event as critical to her role in providing services and consulting to both industry and services. In a moment of serendipity, Benson and Fransway had been in discussions about a project and were excited to meet face-to-face.
“It takes a lot of different people to make collaborations work,” said Benson, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering.
“Meeting new faces in science can help with potential projects, committee members, and research collaborations,” added Tulino, a doctoral student in the clinical and translational sciences program and research associate at Avery Therapeutics.
See more photos of the 2024 event below.
University of Arizona researchers and bioscience industry representatives mingled over food and drink at the fifth annual Faculty Industry Networking Event.
Short presentations by local companies and researchers kicked off the networking event – University of Arizona applied sciences graduate student Jordan Collins discusses his company, Old World Oil.
KEYS 2017 alum Madison Sitkiewicz (middle), program manager for the materials engineering group at Raytheon, presented alongside KEYS program manager Kelle Hyland (right) about BIO5 Institute’s KEYS Research Internship and its focus on growing and keeping the STEM workforce in Arizona.
Attendees were encouraged to network during the event held at the University of Arizona Sands Club.
Ryan Sprissler, associate research professor at the University of Arizona Genetics Core, discusses services that he and his team have to offer to both internal and external partners on the university campus.
Marie Wesselhoft (left), president and cofounder of ZelosDx and BIO5 external advisory board member, attended to provide her expertise in positioning bioscience start-ups for success.