San Francisco and QB3 Launch BioSF, a Program to Enrich the City's Biotech Industry

SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- San Francisco's leadership in biotechnology has taken another step forward with the launch of "BioSF," a public-private partnership to support startup creation and attract industry and investors to the thriving innovation zone in San Francisco's Mission Bay.

"BioSF takes the city's biotech initiative to the next level," said San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee. "This innovative partnership will drive business attraction, job creation and workforce development in the San Francisco life sciences industry."

BioSF combines the efforts of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), the San Francisco Office of Economic Workforce Development, and the San Francisco Center for Economic Development (SFCED), and is funded in part by the California Innovation Hub initiative.

"Mission Bay now has more than 30 small companies, six large companies, and seven venture capital firms," said Douglas Crawford, associate director of QB3. "We are keen on seeing Mission Bay reach its full potential, and that's why we worked with the city to create BioSF."

BioSF will host events for companies and develop services including networking, workforce development, space planning, and access to university facilities. BioSF will also promote San Francisco as the global capital of biotech.

"BioSF is a further affirmation of San Francisco's leadership in supporting the biotechnology and life science sectors," said Dennis Conaghan, executive director of the SFCED. "This initiative underscores the commitment that the public and private sectors are putting behind job creation."

Sally Ann Reiss has been appointed director of BioSF. Reiss, who helped launch TiVo and biotech startup Omniox Inc., will work out of QB3 at the Mission Bay campus of the University of California, San Francisco.

"San Francisco has so much to offer residents and companies," Reiss said. "It is an ideal location for growing biotech companies, especially with the newly built campus generating technology and innovation."

About QB3
QB3 (www.qb3.org) is a research, networking, and technology commercialization institute at the University of California.

About SFCED
The San Francisco Center for Economic Development (www.sfced.org) works with the City and County of San Francisco and with other like-minded organizations to attract business to San Francisco.

About OEWD
The San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (www.oewd.org) supports the ongoing economic vitality of San Francisco under the direction of Mayor Edwin Lee.

SOURCE QB3