One of Madison’s oldest biotech research operations will be closing at the end of the year, affecting about 70 employees at the former Novagen.
EMD Chemicals Inc., a subsidiary of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, announced Friday it will close the company’s facility in University Research Park and consolidate all bioscience operations at the company’s San Diego facility.
Forbes.com has released its list of the 10 best cities to look for work in 2009, and Madison tops the list.
The publication looked at big employers in Madison, like the University of Wisconsin-Madison and jobs in the biotech and health care sector.
That’s good news for the University Research Park, where several companies are hiring despite a sluggish economy.
“The Research Park is doing very well. We’re growing. Our companies here in the park generally rely on the technologies that are spun out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus,” said Mark Bugher, director of University Research Park.
The University Research Park on the West Side has 115 mainly biotech companies and 4,000 employees.
The nation’s stock market is already in recovery and gross domestic product should begin to recover in mid-2009, University of Wisconsin-Madison Business School Dean Michael Knetter said today.
High unemployment, however, will linger through the year, he predicted.
Knetter told Milwaukee Rotarians during their weekly luncheon that the change in the presidential administration is part of the reason for the market’s rebound.
….Maybe people are too busy to take the time to pay attention to what’s going on around them, even if it is at their own risk. Maybe the corporate takeovers of media have driven deep wedges between citizens and “their” newspapers. Maybe people really believe they can get all they need to know from the Internet and radio and TV talk shows. Perhaps the de-emphasis of journalism programs in high schools and universities across the country has led to a general devaluing of the trade’s important place in society. Whatever the reasons, we are losing or witnessing the downsizing of important sources of information, arguably at a time when we need them more than ever.
Noted: Madison has several things going for it. Not only is the University of Wisconsin a major employer, but the university’s research arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, has been fueling growth in the biotech, health care and medical-devices industries. The foundation provides grants and helps scientists affiliated with the university to patent new discoveries. It has aided Madison in becoming a regional hub for those industries.
Economists are hanging black crepe on the New Year’s baby even before the tyke pushes the old guy out the door. And no wonder: From the financial industry to real estate to auto manufacturing, there’s plenty of grim news seeping into almost every sector.
Technology-based businesses are not immune, but some emerging national and global trends suggest most of Wisconsin’s tech-driven companies and clusters can survive 2009 and even prosper in 2010 and beyond.
….When it comes to clean energy, the Badger State has a unique combination of assets that can help us capitalize on such a plan and lead the way into the new energy future. We have vast renewable energy potential from wind and solar power, the research laboratories to develop new energy technologies, the manufacturing base to build them, and the farms to grow the next generation of fuels.
Their tassels turned, the real work is beginning for midyear college graduates trying to find jobs in a slumping economy.
The job search already is months old for some. For others, more schooling is the answer as their peers struggle to find a foothold in a new career.
At first blush, southeastern Wisconsin is coming out strong this year for the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan contest.
Organizers of the annual contest say they already have 25 entries, nine of which came from businesses or individuals in the corridor running from Sheboygan to Kenosha. That’s on track to reach last year’s total of nearly 300 entries, said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, which runs the contest. Mentions a participant from UW-Madison.
Signs will be posted in UW Health clinics next month telling patients that drug companies may be paying their doctors for research or consulting work.
A Madison company that is developing a better way to grow stem cells has received a $50,000 grant from the state, the governor’s office confirmed late Monday.
Shiloh Laboratories LLC was formed last year and began expanding its operations in the last few months following a scientific breakthrough, said Thomas Primiano, the company’s founder.
As hundreds of new University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates filed out of the Kohl Center on Sunday, some huddled close with friends and family, others lingered inside in their caps and gowns, while several trudged into the into the subzero afternoon making new prints in the snow.
On many of the about 1,500 graduating minds was the blistering economic news of recent months and the uncertain prospects of the job market.
VistaGen Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in suburban San Francisco, has signed a deal to use human embryonic stem cell patents from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
VistaGen, which is located in South San Francisco, Calif., will use the license to accelerate its commercial programs focused on using stem cells as next-generation tools for predictive toxicology and drug discovery screenings.
A Quiznos submarine sandwich shop in the new food court at University Square will not be able to sell beer after a unanimous vote by the city’s Alcohol License Review Committee Wednesday night.
Susan Crowley, the director of prevention services for UW Health Services — the largest tenant in the student services tower part of the development — spoke against the move. She said the large seating area would make it nearly impossible to control the distribution of alcohol once it was sold by Quiznos.
Wisconsin scientists hit the media big-time in 2001 when UW stem cell master James Thomson graced the cover of Time magazine.
Now, with much less fanfare, another UW lab whiz has made a splash in the venerable news weekly.
Randy Cortright, the co-founder of Madison-based Virent Energy Systems Inc., was the lead in a feature on 50 Best Inventions of the Year in the Dec. 4 issue, where he was lauded for his “grass to gas” technology.
Cellular Dynamics International, the company founded by UW-Madison stem-cell pioneer James Thomson, is adding three executives.
Every area has a niche, and local leaders defined ours Tuesday: food production, innovation, biomedicine, health care and transportation.
More than four years after its inception, the 56-member Collaboration Council has drawn what it calls a road map to business development and cooperation among communities in southern Wisconsin that for decades have competed for tax base.
Richard Schifreen is the new president and chief executive officer of Platypus Technologies. The Fitchburg company is developing a series of products based on technology that uses liquid crystals to quickly detect molecular interactions. He is also a faculty member in the Masters of Science in Biotechnology program at UW-Madison.
Keith Agoada, 22, became interested in the idea of rooftop farming after winning the top prize â?? $10,000 â?? for his Sky Vegetables concept in the University of Wisconsin School of Business 2008 G. Steven Burrill business plan competition. He says that turning a profit is key.
â??We want the farm to have a financial feasibility,â? he said. â??The idea is to minimize the carbon footprint while maximizing the profit. Without economic viability, itâ??s hard to have adaptors.â?
Moving school funding away from property taxes, shortening high school time from four to three years, eliminating the corporate income tax. These are a handful of the many ideas an influential group of business and lobbying leaders in the state are hoping to spur a discussion about long-term solutions to Wisconsin’s economic woes.
University of Wisconsin-Madison officials are hoping it becomes a hub for student life. But for now, it is just a nexus for cardboard boxes, dollies, work gloves and shelving units.
The new Student Services Tower on the southeast end of the University Square complex stands poised and ready for business, except for the fact that it is still mostly empty. On Wednesday, the university began the process of moving units into the tower, which will take 117 truckloads and the better part of six weeks to complete.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin-Madison seniors say they are having a tough time finding jobs – and some are considering graduate school to delay entering the work force.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students looking for a job this year dont need a dismal report from the National Bureau of Economic Research to tell them the United States is officially suffering through a recession.
They’re living it.
….In these tough times, maybe we’re ready to listen more closely to advocates of a system called “steady state economy.” It is described as “a transdisciplinary field of study that addresses the relationships between ecosystems and economic systems in the broadest sense.” In short, it incorporates ecological principles into economic theory and focuses on sustainability.
One of its foremost spokespersons is Brian Czech, a conservation biologist who grew up in the Green Bay area. He got his undergraduate training at UW-Madison and his Ph.D. in renewable natural resources from the University of Arizona. He is a conservation biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech.
Virent, established in 2002 based on patented UW-Madison research, is off to such a strong start that it has lured an executive from BP, the world’s third-largest oil company, to become the new chief executive officer.
Business owners are meeting today to discuss the pros and cons of “going green.” UW Madison’s Business School is hosting its first “sustainability” conference to encourage companies to make real commitments to the environment.
Businesses from Harley Davidson to local cheese makers will be at the meeting. It’s hosted by the Center for Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility. Department co-chair Tom Eggert says the idea is for executives to learn from each other on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to sustainability. (Second item.)
The University of Wisconsin’s business school dean will be paid entirely with private donations starting next year.
The arrangement is made possible with a donation from UW alum Albert “Ab” Nicholas and his wife. The school’s deans will now be known as the “Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business.”
The dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin School of Business is now an endowed deanship, thanks to a gift from longtime school supporters Albert O. Nicholas and his wife Nancy Johnson Nicholas.
As members of the Wisconsin Union finalize design and budget plans for the new Union South project, the full scale of the project is becoming increasingly apparent. While using 40 percent of the universityâ??s overall Master Plan budget, the new Union South design and plan has grandiose features, including a complete renovation of Orchard Street and an area to accommodate a future hypothetical train platform.
Google, Inc., officially opened its new office in Madison Wednesday and local politicians were in attendance to welcome the company to Wisconsin.
Gov. Jim Doyle and other state officials welcomed Internet giant Google into its new office in Madison Wednesday.
The economic slowdown has hit hard in Dane County, with the highest number of businesses ever saying they won’t be able to meet expectations in 2008.
The sixth annual First Business Economic Survey of Dane County, released Wednesday by First Business Bank, showed all business sectors reported declines in seven primary economic indicators, with the service industry suffering the most.
A number of state and local dignitaries stood in line Wednesday night to sing the praises of Google as the Internet giant held an official unveiling of its Madison office.
Gov. Jim Doyle, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin all spoke at the open house, held at Google’s Madison office at 301 S. Blount St., about a half-mile east of the Capitol.
MADISON â?? With Democrats soon to control the state Assembly, as well as the Senate and governorâ??s office, the stateâ??s largest business lobby is shifting gears to deal with what it calls the â??new political landscape.”
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which has often been at odds with Gov. Jim Doyle, is reaching out to diverse groups — including labor — to develop plans to stimulate the stateâ??s slumping economy.
Charter Communications will be breathing a big sigh of relief should the University of Wisconsin football team be invited to the Champs Sports Bowl rather than the Insight Bowl, as now appears to be likely.
Quoted: Michael Knetter, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mentor has 19 employees in Madison occupying a new, two-story building at University Research Park, built by Vogel Bros. Building Co.
The $24 million project houses a factory for PurTox, a botulinum toxin product based on UW-Madison research, designed to erase frown lines and compete with the popular Botox, Mentor has said.
Don Nichols, UW-Madison professor emeritus of economics and public affairs, could very well say, “I told you so.”
Back in September 2007, Nichols projected the recession would begin in the final months of last year, with a reduction in the GDP, or gross domestic product, for the fourth quarter.
The National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of academic economists, concluded Monday that the country has been suffering through a recession since December 2007.
Wisconsin-based start-up Resilient Technologies LLC is working on a four-year, US $18 million project with the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to research and develop a non-pneumatic tire for use on heavy-grade military vehicles such as Humvees.
Mentor Corp. announced Wednesday that a drug it is developing in Madison to compete with the well-known and hugely successful Botox has successfully completed the first of three Phase 3 clinical trials.
Phase 3 is the final level of trials before a drug is submitted for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval — assuming the trials produce successful results.
The Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company’s “PurTox” drug, which is derived from purified botulinum Type A neurotoxin, is designed to reduce frown lines.
….The development of PurTox stems from Mentor’s 2003 deal for an exclusive license from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for botulinum toxin technology developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
European patent regulators have upheld an earlier rejection of a 13-year-old stem-cell patent filed by a UW-Madison affiliate, saying that inventions that exploit human embryos can’t be patented.
The board of appeals for the European Patent Office upheld the earlier decision on the patent request by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which helps commercialize the university’s research. The rejection was based on a rule that forbids patenting of inventions that use or destroy human embryos for commercial purposes.
Health care products company Johnson & Johnson said Monday it will buy cosmetic-product and breast-implant maker Mentor Corp. for $1.07 billion in a move to boost its presence in cosmetic and reconstructive medicine.
Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Mentor has a unit in University Research Park in Madison that is developing a drug to compete with the well-known and hugely successful Botox.
European regulators on Thursday ruled against allowing a patent on developing human embryonic stem cells, a decision that could stifle research by stem cell companies for commercial purposes.
NEW YORKâ??European patent regulators have confirmed an earlier decision that inventions that use or destroy human embryos can’t be patented, turning down a patent application by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s research arm.
The board of appeals for the European Patent Office upheld an earlier rejection of a patent filed by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The rejection was based on a rule that forbids patenting of inventions that use human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes.
Student advocacy groups are urging the Treasury Department to prevent a new $200 billion consumer lending program from benefiting private student lenders, which they say are largely unregulated and prey on students with risky, high-interest loans.
The program, announced this week and developed by the Treasury and Federal Reserve, is not aimed specifically at the student loan market. Its much broader goal is to encourage lending to consumers — including car loans, credit card debt and student loans — as well as help the financial system by increasing liquidity in the credit markets.
MADISON â?? For people who suffer from epilepsy, current drugs donâ??t always control seizures. A startup company with ties to UW-Madison technology, NeuroGenomex Inc., is trying to provide a breakthrough medication.
Epilepsy affects more than 3 million Americans every year, with most new cases developing in children and elderly. Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder whose main symptom is seizure caused by electric activity in the brain.
Cellular Dynamics International, founded by world-renowned UW-Madison stem-cell researcher James Thomson, announced a merger Monday with sister companies Stem Cell Products Inc. and iPS Cells Inc.
One of the stateâ??s largest stem cell research companies, founded in part by stem cell pioneer James Thomson, announced a merger with two other Madison-based corporations, finalizing $18 million in funding.
What if doctors could take a strand of your hair and use it to find out which drugs could best treat you for high cholesterol, for example, without giving you a bad reaction?
That may be just a few years away, says an official of Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), 525 Science Drive.
The Madison stem-cell company, founded by UW-Madison researcher James Thomson, has landed $18 million in financing that will help CDI expand operations and add staff, as it works to become a world leader in the field, said chief commercial officer Chris Kendrick-Parker.
Cellular Dynamics International, the Madison-based research company founded by stem cell pioneer Dr. James Thomson and three fellow UW-Madison professors, has merged with two sister companies and is getting $18 million in new financing.
The two companies merging with CDI are Stem Cell Products Inc. and iPS Cells, Inc.
Three companies founded by star University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell researcher James Thomson are merging into a single entity that aspires to be a world leader in the field.
Under a deal announced Monday, Cellular Dynamics International is joining forces with Stem Cell Products Inc. and iPS Cells Inc. Backed by $18 million in private venture capital, the new company is keeping CDI (nyse: CDI – news – people )’s name and its headquarters in Madison.
Cellular Dynamics International Inc., a firm co-founded by stem cell pioneer and University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher James Thomson, has absorbed a pair of sister companies and raised $18 million in financing, the firm said Monday.
CDIâ??s sister companies, Stem Cell Products Inc. and iPS Cells Inc., merged into the company, placing the intellectual property and commercial, research, and production capabilities of the predecessor companies under a unified management team.
Three Wisconsin companies focused on stem cell research are merging.
The companies are joining under the banner of Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), based in Madison. Stem Cell pioneer, Dr. James Thomson, says they’re looking at the commercial use of stem cell technology.
We’re glad to hear that UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin is working on a constructive relationship with the board of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s largest business group. Martin said she has had separate meetings with the WMC’s board of directors and WMC president Jim Haney and is hoping they can focus on common interests.
Quoted: Michael Knetter, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Also sponsoring MGE’s new green energy Web site are UW-Madison’s Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, and 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, an environmental group.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students and staff are preparing to move into the new the 250,000-square-foot Student Services Tower, a “one-stop shop” for a range of services and activities.
Courtesy of the Wilson Law Group, an excellent estate-planning firm here in Madison, one of your correspondents attended a fascinating talk last night. The speaker was the Dean of the University of Wisconsin School of Business, Michael M. Knetter (yes, the “k” gets a little enunciation).
Knetter spoke for nearly an hour on a broad range of topics, from international trade to the credit bubble to tax policy. Here are a few highlights, in no particular order, from last night’s event:
Madison, Wis. – A few days before he willingly stepped down as president and chief executive officer of the alternative energy company he helped to launch, Eric Apfelbach told a crowd of entrepreneurs they were probably a little bit crazy.
….Thanks to the twin pillars of the University of Wisconsin and state government, Madison has historically enjoyed a leg up on the rest of the Badger State when it comes to riding out economic hard times.
But with the national economy facing unprecedented challenges and government no longer the biggest employer in town, can the region avoid the pain of this latest downturn?
“No doubt Madison and Dane County have been insulated but eventually this is going to catch up to everybody,” warned Ken Harwood, a business consultant from Verona and publisher of Wisconsin Development News.
