CPhI donates to iBIO to cement partnership with Illinois life sciences community

23-Apr-2019 - Last updated on 23-Apr-2019 at 14:56 GMT

(Image: Getty/vistoff)

CPhI North America donates $10,000 to iBIO’s Educate Center to help fund STEM programs for girls and solidifies its partnership with the association to support Illinois as a growing life sciences hub.

CPhI North America will donate $10,000 (€8,888) to the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO) during its upcoming conference in Chicago, US.

iBIO represents more than 85,000 life science employees at member companies, universities, providers, and venture firms throughout the US state. Joe Marks of CPhI told us that it chose to partner with iBIO because it is a ‘hub’ for talent in the Illinois life sciences field.

“This partnership shows the Illinois community that we are here to support and connect with them,” said Marks.

“We did not want to simply be just another conference in town but instead connect with and give back to the regional life sciences community. Our industry is all about relationships, from bench to the patient, so it’s important to build new relationships and cement existing ones,” Marks added.

According to a report from iBIO, the annual economic output of the life sciences industry in Illinois was $98bn in 2016, with strong wage growth in all segments of the industry – making it a major contributor to state and local taxes.

The report also states that while Illinois is a hub for the industry, recent acquisitions of Illinois companies have reduced employment in life sciences in the state. The organization concluded that to keep Illinois a growing member of the biotech industry then additional resources need to be sourced.

This $10,000 donation from CPhI North America will specifically fund iBIO’s Stellar Girls and STEM Girls Camp. The camp introduces girls to careers in STEM.

Hope Mueller, VP of quality at Horizon Pharmaceuticals, which is a member of iBIO, will accept the grant on behalf of the organization, during the Women in Leadership Forum taking place during the CPhI conference.