Central Virginia to fast-track development of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing with launch of 'cluster accelerator'

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Oct 04, 2021, 10:00 ET

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Activation Capital, a leading entrepreneurship and ecosystem development organization, announced the launch of a cluster accelerator to catalyze the growth of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D in Central Virginia. A coalition of private-public entities from Greater Petersburg and Greater Richmond helped form the accelerator, secured $2.5M in seed funding from GO Virginia and others, and appointed Activation Capital as the organizing entity - a first-of-its-kind initiative for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The regional cluster accelerator's goal is to help build a globally competitive pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D industry in the Central Virginia region. The work will fast-track regional efforts to reshore and secure the production of essential medicines in the United States, lower their costs and ensure access to quality medicines in the U.S. and around the world. Many organizations will support scale-up in infrastructure, workforce development, and supply chain development.

"Today, nearly all of the active ingredients and/or their starting materials for Americans' essential medications come from overseas, leaving us vulnerable to shortages. VCU Engineering's Medicines for All Institute is an internationally recognized leader in improving the manufacturing of generic drugs by curbing waste, cutting costs, and reducing pollution," said Dr. Frank Gupton, CEO of the Medicines for All Institute and co-founder of Phlow Corporation.

"For far too long, the United States has been dangerously dependent on a poorly designed global supply chain for our nation's most essential medicines. As a solution, the regional cluster accelerator will help further enhance domestic manufacturing as the private sector collaborates to create a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain in the U.S. that will provide access to essential medicines for all Americans," said Eric Edwards, M.D., Ph.D., President, co-founder, and CEO of Phlow.

With as much as 73% of the raw materials used to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients manufactured outside of the United States, this initiative targets an issue of importance to national security and economic prosperity. The accelerator builds upon 18 months' work and initial investments in the region to make Virginia a leader in the nation's efforts to boost state-side production of essential medicines. "This innovative approach to accelerate the growth of the cluster has the potential to yield thousands of high-paying jobs, attract substantial levels of capital investment, and strengthen the Commonwealth's position as a leader in the life sciences sector," said Stephen Moret, Virginia Economic Development Partnership President and CEO. "

The accelerator's work will cover the 17 cities and counties that comprise the Greater Petersburg and Greater Richmond areas. Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham said, "With the first facilities under construction in Petersburg, we are excited to help position the city and the region as the nation's hub for the cluster's advanced manufacturing facilities that will bring high-paying jobs and workforce training designed to ensure success for future generations."

On the potential impact of the initiative, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said, "As an emerging market for biotech and life sciences, the City of Richmond is ready to help build this high-growth cluster in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D in Central Virginia and advance our local economies, establishing our region leader in this emerging and important field."

The founding leadership board also named Robby Demeria, chief of staff for Phlow and former deputy secretary of commerce and trade, as founding chair. Jeff Gallagher, a 25-year life sciences sector veteran, was named interim executive director to begin work immediately on its ambitious plan. "I applaud the many people and organizations in this region who worked diligently for nearly a year during the COVID lockdown to create a comprehensive strategic plan that will bring enormous positive change to the region and world," said Gallagher.

The founding board represents organizations that will play a wide range of critical roles in scaling the ecosystem. Activation Capital will serve as the initiative's organizer – housing the accelerator in its Bio+Tech Park and bringing ecosystem development best practices to the effort. "The cluster accelerator model is a relatively new approach to launching and scaling industry clusters," says Chandra Briggman, CEO of Activation Capital. "The need for urgency in producing America's essential medicines within the U.S. makes this agile, startup-esque approach to building out the biopharma ecosystem ideal."

About the Cluster Accelerator for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and R&D
The Cluster Accelerator is an initiative designed to accelerate the scale-up of a globally competitive ecosystem in Central Virginia focused on manufacturing critically important medicines within the United States. The initiative is led by a multi-jurisdictional coalition of public and private sector stakeholders actively engaged in the cluster's R&D, manufacturing, workforce development, and supply chain development. The founding leadership board includes Activation Capital, AMPAC Fine Chemicals, the City of Petersburg, the City of Richmond, Civica Inc., the Community College Workforce Alliance, the Greater Richmond Partnership, Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University, Phlow Corporation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia's Gateway Region, and Virginia State University. The process, participants, and strategic plan for the Cluster Accelerator can be found here.

About Activation Capital
Established in 1993, the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority (dba Activation Capital) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its mission is to grow life sciences and other advanced technology innovation by promoting scientific research and economic development that attracts and creates new jobs and companies. With 1.2 million square feet of space developed on over 34 acres, its Virginia Bio+Tech Park is the hub of life science and technology innovations in Central Virginia. Activation Capital also serves as a leading innovation ecosystem development organization providing social, knowledge, and financial capital to clusters, entrepreneur support organizations, and entrepreneurs – accelerating their progress through development and maturation. For more information, visit http://www.activation.capital.

Contact: Sara Maddox
Email: [email protected]
804-828-4545

SOURCE Activation Capital