Councilmember Trachtenberg Meets with Asian American Business Leaders

Councilmember Trachtenberg met yesterday afternoon with a group of Asian American business leaders to talk about the community’s concerns regarding job growth and the need for a more comprehensive over-all vision for the Gaithersburg West/”Science City”. The group emphasized the need for attracting and retaining Asian businesses and Asian science and medical research professionals and their families in Maryland and Montgomery County, in particular.

Councilmember Trachtenberg explained that she also felt a desire for more specificity in the over-all plan being advanced and asked that these leaders write up a very clear proposal of their needs, ideas and concerns regarding this development project and make sure that all the Councilmembers received such proposal.

Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board Meeting in Germantown

The Trachtenberg Office was represented last night at the Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board meeting that took place at the Up-County Regional Services Center in Germantown.

At the meeting, Advisory Board members discussed CIP Priorities, the Life Sciences/Gaithersburg West Master Plan, and Code Enforcement legislation, pending before the County Council.

The Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board meets monthly at the Upcounty Regional Services Center, located at 12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, in Germantown, Maryland

The Trachtenberg Office attends Press Conference of the Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force

The Trachtenberg Office was represented at today’s Press Conference on the release of the Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force’s Report entitled “Biosciences Strategy: Montgomery County’s Strategy for Developing a World-Renown Life Sciences Industry." The Report was presented to Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, by the Task Force Chiar David Mott, at the Shady Grove Innovation Center.

As part of a series of aggressive initiatives to strengthen and grow the County’s vital bioscience community and preserve its role as a local and regional economic engine, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, working in conjunction with the County’s Department of Economic Development (DED), brought together in 2008 the best and brightest from throughout the biotech industry to serve on the new Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force. The Task Force has 34 members.

The Task Force identified a number of opportunities and challenges facing Montgomery County’s biosciences industry and has recommended the following to the County in it's December 2009 Report:

1) Enhance the environment for entrepreneurship and the creation of new life science companies. For example, create public-private partnerships that combine the capital resources of top venture capital firms with managers, scientists and entrepreneurs.

2) Catalyze greater technology transfer and commercialization and leverage Montgomery County’s federal and academic assets more effectively. For example, work with the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University and other regional academic research institutions to facilitate greater licensing and commercialization of their research discoveries and technologies.

3) Foster a more enabling financial, regulatory and business environment. One strategy is to pass county enabling legislation to create a Montgomery County specific biotech investment tax credit by summer 2010.

4) Enhance bioscience educational opportunities and expand the higher education presence in the County to build a robust biosciences workforce. This can be achieved by supporting partnerships between Montgomery College, other higher education institutions, industry and Montgomery County Public Schools to support science, technology, engineering and math curriculum development.

5) Market the county’s bioscience sector nationally and internationally by partnering up with the Maryland Biotechnology Center to create a high-profile marketing effort that goes along well with the state’s BioMaryland branding and global marketing campaign.

For more information:
December 2009 Task Force Report (12-10-09)
Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force Home Page
Montgomery County Press Release
Washington Business Journal Article (12-10-09)