The KC Animal Health Corridor’s efforts to create a National Center of Animal Health Innovation received a major boost this week. At its board meeting in Washington, DC, the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) approved $1 million in seed money to establish a public-private consortium called the National Center of Animal Health Innovation, which will be based in the KC Animal Health Corridor.
The Center will be based in Kansas and will be developing collaborations throughout the Corridor, as well as nationally and internationally. It will bring together nine area animal health companies, plus regional universities and government agencies to accelerate job creation, research, development and commercialization of the next generation of animal health and nutrition products.
Participating companies include: Bayer Animal Health, Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica, Centaur, Ceva Biomune, Hennessey Research, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Intervet/Schering Plough, Nestle/Purina and Teva Animal Health.
Participating universities, organizations and government agencies are expected to include: University of Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, Midwest Research Institute, U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Services, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, National Bio and Agro- Defense Facility (NBAF), Morris Animal Foundation, National Institute for Strategic Technology Acquisition and Commercialization (NISTAC), and others.
In its first year, the center plans to establish its operations, in addition to recruiting a CEO, top scientific advisors and board members, along with completing a strategic plan that will clearly define the Center’s mission, vision and value proposition. Additional funding will be based on the achievement of these and other key milestones.
About Kansas Bioscience Authority
The Kansas Bioscience Authority is a $581-million fund created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to expand the state’s world-class research capacity and bioscience clusters; support the growth of bioscience startups; and stimulate bioscience business expansion and attraction. The National Center for Animal Health Innovation is the fourth “center of innovation” the KBA has initiated and funded. The centers must be led by industry and link research assets and industrial partners to develop new innovative products and create jobs. To learn more, visit www.kansasbioauthority.org.
About the KC Animal Health Corridor
The Kansas City area accounts for 32 percent of the $19 billion global animal health industry. The Corridor, anchored by Manhattan, Kan., and Columbia, Mo., is home to more than 220 animal health companies, which represents the largest concentration in the world. www.kcanimalhealth.com.