SC Launch! and SC BIO announce partnership

SC Launch! and SC BIO announced the formation of a collaborative partnership, designed to advance the commercialization of innovative life science technologies in South Carolina and to bolster growth of the knowledge economy.

“The SC Launch!-SC BIO collaboration is a vital element in the overall commercialization efforts of all emerging technologies in South Carolina,” said Karl Kelly, CEO of SC BIO. “This collaborative broadens and intensifies technology commercialization efforts by uniting research foundations, SC BIO and the SC Launch! program, thus allowing all three to systematically support the creation and growth of new companies.”

SC BIO, formally known as the South Carolina Biotechnology Incubation Program, is a public-private, nonprofit organization, composed of industry, university and private entities collaborating to develop new life science companies in South Carolina. SC Launch! was formed to accelerate entrepreneurial growth of technology startups by delivering tools for success, creating high-paying jobs and building equity in the state’s future. SC Launch! is a partnership among Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina and SCRA.

According to officials, the SC Launch!-SC BIO collaboration will help many companies access a depth of professional services and capital resources to which they previously might not have had, given their stage of maturity or funding.

“Before the SC Launch! and SC BIO relationship, a significant gap existed in the ability to systematically provide seed money for startup companies with life science concepts that could be commercialized on a national and global basis,” Kelly said. “Today, we are working with 20 concepts in different phases of development, and the collaboration reaches 11 research locations in South Carolina, including both rural areas and metropolitan centers.”

“Moving forward, this collaboration will include an accurate evaluation of the market and the needs of the companies emerging in South Carolina. With this collaboration we can utilize SC BIO’s expertise and understanding of the life science market and commercialization with SC Launch! resources to better serve emerging companies,” Kelly said. “Our primary responsibility resides with serving the scientific investigators and entrepreneurs as a team, and if we serve them prudently, then we will continue to refine and improve our work and depth of services.”