California Bioscience Business Roundtable event hosted at the Quadrus Conference Center

Today a group of national and California-based partners hosted the California Bioscience Business Roundtable (BBR) event at the Quadrus Conference Center in Menlo Park. The event also featured Sam Youngman, the White Correspondent for The Hill newspaper, who provided a reporter's front row perspective on the unfolding health reform debate in Washington, D.C.

Bioscience represents a major source of potential economic development in California. In 2007, nearly 271,000 people were directly employed by the industry (California Biomedical Industry 2009 Report, California Health Institute).

BBR is a unified voice of leaders representing the biotechnology, life sciences, and biomedical research industries -- collectively known as the bioscience community. Its mission is to promote public policies that on a local, state and federal level safeguard and sustain America's place as the world leader in bioscience. The three tenets of BBR are to promote access, prevention and encourage innovation. This is achieved by building bridges of understanding between government leaders, the business community and academia on key issues facing California and the United States' dynamic bioscience community.

"California's life sciences community is committed to continued leadership, as evidenced by the wide-ranging groups in attendance here today. Academic and medical research institutions, small and large manufacturing enterprises, and the businesses that support health innovation are all gathered to learn more about what we can do to partner with the government going forward," said Matt Gardner, President and CEO of BayBio. "California already has the infrastructure in place to ensure economic growth in the life sciences sector. Open exchanges of ideas, such as today's forum, are essential to making sure that Californians benefit from the investments in treatments, cures and technologies taking place here in Silicon Valley and throughout the state."

Partners hosting today's event included: BayBio, Bay Area Economic Institute, BIOCOM, California Healthcare Institute, California Manufacturers & Technology Association, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, San Jose-Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce & Convention-Visitors Bureau, Stanford School of Medicine Career Center, Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.