Last modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Lt. Gov. Ellspermann to keynote conference on turning university research into business ventures
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2013
EDITORS: A complete program schedule, links to the participants' biographies and directions are available at the Center for the Business of Life Sciences website.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann will keynote the next event in the Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference Series on May 10 in downtown Indianapolis.
The conference will begin at 10 a.m. at the J.W. Marriott, 10 S. West St. It is being held in conjunction with the Indianapolis Business Journal's Power Breakfast Series, which begins at 8 a.m.
"Intellectual property developed in the state's major universities has the potential to be a key contributor to the continued strength of the life sciences industry in Indiana," said George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. "However, there can be legal, financial and cultural barriers making the commercial translation of ideas to useable products hard to realize.
"We are thrilled that Lt. Gov. Ellspermann, who has considerable experience in this area, will join our panels in talking about the opportunities and the pitfalls that challenge life science innovations coming to fruition," Telthorst said.
The theme for the conference is "Public-Private Partnerships: Transferring Discoveries Out of Universities."
The cost to attend both the conference and the IBJ Power Breakfast is $185. The cost for only the conference is $150. People also can attend just the breakfast for $35 for subscribers and $45 for nonsubscribers. Registration information for both events is available on the Center for the Business of Life Sciences' website.
Scholarships are available for full-time students attending any Indiana university or college; contact Kelli Conder at the Center for the Business of Life Sciences at 812-856-0915 or kconder@indiana.edu.
Ellspermann, who will be the luncheon speaker, manages five state agencies: the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Office of Defense Development, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and the Office of Tourism Development.
A graduate of Purdue University, Ellspermann began her career in engineering and management at Michelin and Frito-Lay before she founded a consulting business, Ellspermann and Associates Inc., in Evansville, Ind. Clients included Kimball International, Pepsi and Microsoft.
Her company provided problem-solving and strategic planning facilitation and training. She was the first colleague of Min Basadur, founder of Basadur Applied Creativity and internationally renowned for his work in applied creative problem-solving research, training and facilitation.
In 1996, Ellspermann completed a master's degree and doctorate in industrial engineering at the University of Louisville. In 2006, she became the founding director of the University of Southern Indiana's Center for Applied Research and Economic Development, which has completed more than 200 projects statewide.
She was instrumental in developing the USI-Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Partnership that includes a focus on technology commercialization. Last year, she joined Transformation Team Inc. as its director of strategic engagement.
In 2010, Ellspermann was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives and last year became Indiana's lieutenant governor.
Following the IBJ Power Breakfast, the conference will begin with a panel, "New Approaches to Working with Industry from the Midwest CTSI Consortium."
Panel members will be Dr. James E. Heubi, associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Dr. Daniel Curran, vice president and therapeutic area lead at Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc.; Dale Edgar, Lilly Distinguished Research Fellow, Science and Technology Partnerships, LRL, Eli Lilly and Co.; and Dr. Marc K. Drezner, executive director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Anantha Shekhar, dean of translational research at the IU School of Medicine, will moderate.
Following Ellspermann's lunch keynote address, a second panel will examine challenges and best practices for tech transfers.
Panelists will include Guy Cook, chairman, CEO and president of Bacterin International; Lawrence Bruder, president and CEO of Noxilizer Inc.; and John Kansky, vice president for strategy and planning at the Indiana Health Information Exchange. Brian Lawrence, chief technology officer of Hill-Rom, will moderate.
The day's events will wrap up at 3 p.m.
The conference is being presented by the IU Kelley School of Business and its Center for the Business of Life Sciences. Primary sponsors are Bacterin, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Biomet, Covance, Hill-Rom, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Indiana Health Information Exchange, the Indianapolis Business Journal, the IU School of Medicine and Purdue University.
