On Friday, May 27, the Illinois Industrial Biotechnology Partnership Act was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker and establishes the Industrial Biotechnology Public-Private Partnership as a State-sponsored board consisting of specified members to promote and market Illinois as a destination for research, development and commercialization for industrial biotechnology.
The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been a leading institution for research in industrial biotechnology in Illinois and the United States since its doors opened in 2003. Today, it celebrates the signing of this historic legislation.
The bill was passed unanimously by both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate with bipartisan support. The Partnership will consist of 12 members, including the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Department of Labor, NCERC, and several other Illinois-based research organizations and companies that serve the biotechnology sector. The members of the Partnership will lead in leveraging Illinois’ existing assets and building incentives to attract new companies to the state to perform research and establish manufacturing facilities.
“The passing of Illinois Senate Bill 1693 is a significant step in the right direction for providing the support and incentives companies need to bring their biotechnology businesses to the state of Illinois,” said NCERC Executive John Caupert. “Now, centers like NCERC will be part of a network with a singular mission to attract more economic growth for our state. This activity will bring in more tax dollars, jobs, and other critical components to establish a burgeoning industry in Illinois.”
NCERC serves companies in the private sector through contractual research services and has helped to commercialize more than 80 technologies that are now in the commercial marketplace, contributing to tens of thousands of jobs and more than $7 billion of annual revenue. By attracting clients from across the globe to perform research at its facility in SIUE’s University Park, it also draws hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for the nearby hospitality industry. In addition to economic benefits, NCERC’s research in biotechnology also supports a variety of workforce training programs by providing hands-on learning opportunities to college students and recent graduates. Since 2014, hundreds of employees who have passed through NCERC on their career paths have found gainful employment in the private sector.
To learn more about NCERC, visit EthanolResearch.com.
Original source can be found here.
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