MEDIA RELEASE Monday 22 April, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Life Sciences Queensland announces latest LSQ Ambassadors (LSQ) is pleased to announce our latest LSQ Ambassadors - two of the life sciences industry most highly respected, global thought leaders Professor Uwe Heinrich, and Mr G. Steven Burrill. The Hon Peter Beattie AC, the Australian Federal Minister s Representative at BIO 2013 and one of the inaugural LSQ Ambassadors, announced the latest Ambassadors on Sunday 21 st April, during the Queensland Reception at the Annual International BIO Conference in Chicago USA. Both Prof. Heinrich and Mr. Burrill are active, high calibre, well regarded and highly visible individuals within the life sciences and biotechnology industries and it is with great pleasure that I announce them as LSQ Ambassadors said Mr Beattie. LSQ Chairman Dr Peter Riddles added that although these individuals took very different paths to success, each of these gentlemen have made a difference to the life sciences sector. These individuals have years of experience and expertise in the European and American markets and have been strong and active supporters in nurturing our efforts in Queensland. They wish to ensure future growth, development and collaboration not only for Queensland and their local industries but also for the life sciences industry as a whole said Dr Riddles. Prof. Uwe Heinrich is the Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) in Germany and Steven Burrill is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Burrill & Company in the United States. The appointees were chosen for their respective and impressive contributions in various international forums to the advancement of the importance of life sciences to the future prosperity in terms of health and economic outcomes.
Their appointment as honourary LSQ Ambassadors is highly prestigious, and they join current LSQ Ambassadors The Hon. Peter Beattie A.C. and Dr. Carl B. Feldbaum to promote the Queensland life sciences industry. Following the presentation of the awards, Mr Beattie emphasised his desire to continue to work with LSQ and the newly appointed Ambassadors to further grow and promote Queensland s life sciences industry. Life Sciences are increasingly a key part of Queensland's economic prosperity said Mr Beattie. Agriculture, energy and mining, biomedical, environmental, marine and industrial sectors are industries that hugely contribute to our State s economy and we need to continue to develop and promote these industries to ensure a secure future. - ENDS -
Uwe Heinrich - Executive Director, Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, and Professor of Toxicology and Aerosol Research, Hannover Medical School Uwe Heinrich is professor of toxicology and aerosol research at the Hannover Medical School, Germany, and director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine. He received his degree in biology from the Eberhard Karls University in Tuebingen, Germany. In 1984, he became a lecturer in toxicology and experimental oncology at the Hannover Medical School and obtained the habilitation in experimental oncology at the same university in 1989. At present, Heinrich is a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences (U.S.), editor of the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health (IJHEH), member of the HEI Research Committee, Health Effects Institute, U.S.A., and serves on various national and international committees. His primary research interests are inhalation toxicology, environmental and occupational hygiene, risk assessment, and preclinical research. He has published more than 100 research articles and received the Kenneth Morgareidge Award for outstanding research in the area of inhalation toxicology in 1991.
G. Steven Burrill - Chief Executive Officer, Burrill and Co. G. Steven Burrill has been involved in the growth and prosperity of the biotechnology industry for over 40 years. Mr. Burrill founded and has been Chief Executive Officer of Burrill & Company, a venture capital and merchant banking firm, since 1994. Prior to founding Burrill & Company in 1994, he spent 28 years with Ernst & Young, directing and coordinating the firm's services to clients in the field of biotechnology, life sciences, high technology, and manufacturing worldwide.. Mr. Burrill is a founder and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation (NSTMF). He chaired the National Research Council study on linkages in biotechnology between Japan and the United States and was also involved with the US- Japan Science and Technology Agreement Study of Technology Transfer Mechanisms between the US and Japan. His other non-profit activities include serving as Chairman of the Boards of Directors of the Life Science Foundation, the World Council for Ethical Standards, the Vilas County (Wisconsin) Economic Development Corporation (VCEDC) and as Vice Chairman of the National Health Museum. He also serves on the Boards of Bay Area Science Infrastructure Consortium, BayBio (Emeritus), Buck Institute for Research on Aging, California Healthcare Institute (Emeritus), The Exploratorium (Emeritus), Gladstone Foundation, Global Virus Network, Kellogg Center for Biotechnology, MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation, BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH), Harvard Medical School Genetics Advisory Council and NIH Scientific Management Review Board. In 2012 Mr. Burrill received the Richard Bolte, Sr. Award for Supporting Industries from the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia for his biotechnology industry leadership worldwide. In 2011 he received a lifetime achievement award at Scrip Intelligence s annual Scrip Award ceremony in London. That same year he received the Breath of Life Award from the Northern California Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to honor his contributions to the life sciences industry. In 2008 he received both the BayBio Pantheon DiNA lifetime achievement award for his biotech leadership worldwide, and the Alan Cranston Living Legend Award for his central role in advancing biomedical research globally. In 2002 he was recognized as a biotech investment visionary by the Scientific American magazine (The Scientific American 50), and was also honored that year at the American Liver Foundation s Annual Salute to Excellence Gala, which honors the leaders from the Bay Area s medical, biotech and bio-pharmaceutical industries. In 1995 Mr. Burrill received BIO s service award for his global biotechnology leadership.
He serves on the editorial boards of Scientific American, the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology and Life Science Leader and on the advisory boards of the Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies (C-PET) and BioAg Gateway, City of Madison. He is an advisor to the University of Illinois Institute for Genomic Biology, the University of Wisconsin-College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, and Duke University, and is an adjunct professor at University of California, San Francisco. He also serves on the Advisory Boards for the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University and the Biotechnology Master s Program in the Department of Biology at the University of San Francisco. He serves on the BioNJ Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine Committee. (LSQ) LSQ is an Australian based industry organisation established to promote a platform for industry stakeholders to come together and cooperate to grow their businesses and help create a dynamic, internationally competitive and sustainable life sciences industry. LSQ is helping to shape the strategic direction of the industry in Queensland and influence public policy. We also provide members with tools, services, market intelligence and access to an international network of life sciences organisations with the aim of identifying new business opportunities and accelerating business growth. LSQ engages the full spectrum of the Queensland life sciences industry, to assist the growth of individual organisations and industry segments, and to build the profile, capacity and capability of the sector to help ensure long term economic, social and environmental benefits to Queensland and its members. Sub-sectors that are illustrative of the life science industry include: Human Healthcare (pharmaceuticals or drug discovery, complementary medicines, functional foods/beverages, medical devices and diagnostics), Animal Health, Agricultural and Environmental Biotechnology, Marine Biotechnology and Industrial Biotechnology, including Bio-mining and Bio-energy.