Biocom Names UC San Diego ‘Community Partner of the Year’

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Biocom, the San Diego-based advocate for California’s life-science sector, has announced that the University of California San Diego has been named its “Community Partner of the Year” and will receive that recognition at the organization’s Annual Dinner on Nov. 17 at the La Jolla Hyatt Aventine.

Joe Panetta, Biocom’s President and CEO, said the honor is based on a “spirit of partnership with our life-science community through UC San Diego’s initiatives, actions, advocacy and engagement.”

There was “overwhelming support” for recognizing UC San Diego, Panetta said, acknowledging the role that the university’s Office of Research Affairs and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization have played in advancing entrepreneurial endeavors in the life sciences.

He credited Vice Chancellor for Research Sandra Brown, Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation Paul Roben, and Director of Commercialization Ruben Flores for creating and staffing their ambitious and wide-ranging commercial-outreach initiatives.

“Among other collaborations, we were pleased that UC San Diego worked side-by-side with us in the Nihonbashi/ LINK-J initiative, where Interim Executive Vice Chancellor Peter Cowhey and I serve as advisors,” Panetta said.

“We had the presence of UC San Diego through the international group led by Miwako Waga, the university’s Director of International Outreach at our pavilion at BioJapan – and Miwako also helped us secure this year’s Annual Dinner keynote speaker, Dr. Rob Knight.”

Panetta also praised the outreach and partnership of UC San Diego’s Design School, the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, the Bioengineering Department, and the Biology Department, among other campus organizations.

“Certainly,” Panetta said, “Chancellor Pradeep Khosla’s enthusiastic support of the life-science community whenever I hear him talk is deeply informed and visionary.”

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom provides a strong public voice to the companies and organizations that fuel local economies and produce novel solutions to improve people’s lives. Biocom works with industry, government, investors, academia and other stakeholders to accomplish key goals including talent development, cross-industry collaboration and a vibrant financing climate.

“It’s an honor for UC San Diego to be recognized by Biocom as this year’s Community Partner,” said Vice Chancellor Brown. “They are eloquent and tireless advocates for the life sciences. Biocom is the lynch-pin in the dynamic biotech community of San Diego, and our collaboration leverages benefits for their organization, UC San Diego, and the San Diego region.”