Barbara A. Mikulski
U.S. Senator for Maryland
Mikulski Congratulates Emergent on Grant to Establish New Center for Innovation in Maryland
Center for Innovation funded through BARDA, a federal effort championed to protect the homeland and save lives, will create life science jobs in Maryland
June 18, 2012
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today congratulated Emergent Manufacturing Operations Baltimore LLC on winning a $163 million grant from Health and Human Services (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to establish a Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing.
"In Maryland, life science is the life blood of our economy. It supports jobs developing new biological products, new pharmaceuticals and new cures that save and improve lives," Senator Mikulski said. "I'm proud to support research and innovation jobs in Maryland's biotech industry keeping our state competitive in the global economy. With this smart federal investment to establish a Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, we will fight the threat of bioterrorism, pandemics and epidemics, while creating jobs in Maryland, making our country safer and our economy stronger."
The Center of Innovation offers a public-private partnership bringing together small biotech companies, academic institutions and experienced pharmaceutical companies. It will provide the first major domestic infrastructure capable of producing medical countermeasures to protect Americans from health impacts of bioterrorism, pandemic influenza and other epidemics.
These federal dollars will allow Emergent to construct a manufacturing suite in Baltimore and renovate a development and manufacturing plant in Gaithersburg. The contract could be up to 25 years and support 1,000 jobs. The partnership will include the University of Maryland, Michigan State University and Kettering University.
As a Senate Appropriator, Senator Mikulski puts funds in the federal checkbook for BARDA. The FY 2013 spending bill proposes $465 million for the agency. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a reauthorization of Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), which authorizes the funding for this BARDA program.