Eight Fairfax County Companies Vie for Space in U.K. Business Incubators.Business Editors/Health/Hi-Tech Writers FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2003 Seven U.K. bioscience companies to vie for space in Fairfax County incubator; Judges today begin ranking record number of annual Touchdown competition entrants Eight Fairfax County technology companies have entered the annual Touchdown competition organized by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA FCEDA Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (Virginia) ) and Invest.UK, the British government's economic development arm, to win space in a British business incubator Business incubators are organizations that support the entrepreneurial process, helping to increase survival rates for innovative startup companies. Entrepreneurs with feasible projects are selected and admitted into the incubators, where they are offered a specialized menu of or science park. At the same time, seven biotechnology companies Top 100 Biotechnology Companies The following is a list of the top 100 biotechnology companies ranked by revenue. The first nine companies qualify for the list of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies. from the United Kingdom are vying for space and free business services at the Fairfax County BioAccelerator, the FCEDA's bioscience business incubator. Judging panels composed of U.S. and U.K. business executives today begin ranking the companies that entered the Touchdown 2003 competition. Winners will be announced in the fall. Nineteen science parks and business incubators in England, Wales Wales, Welsh Cymru, western peninsula and political division (principality) of Great Britain (1991 pop. 2,798,200), 8,016 sq mi (20,761 sq km), west of England; politically united with England since 1536. The capital is Cardiff. and Northern Ireland are participating this year as possible touchdown points for the Fairfax County companies. The Virginia companies that will be judged for acceptance into a U.K. incubator are: -- 4FrontSecurity, Reston - security solutions -- Advanced Radio Corp., Reston - radio frequency equipment -- Brickstream, Fairfax - software -- BTC BTC Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (crude oil pipeline) BTC Belgische Technische Coöperatie (Dutch: Belgian Technical Cooperation) BTC Berlinale Talent Campus BTC Business Travel Coalition Management, Springfield - software -- Cell Block Technologies, Fairfax - wireless communication products -- Defywire, Reston - software -- Drawing Room Design and Construction, Great Falls - construction and home technology management -- Epiance, Herndon - software The U.K. companies that will be judged for the Fairfax County BioAccelerator are: -- Biopta, Glasgow - drug testing systems -- BlueGnome, Cambridge - software -- British Golf Components, Leeds - golf club technology -- Cybula, York - bioinformatics technology development -- Gentronix, Manchester - biosensor A device that detects and analyzes body movement, temperature or fluids and turns it into an electronic signal. See lab on a chip and data glove. Biosensor systems -- Pro2kem, Dundee - polymer analysis -- ProImmune, Oxford - reagent development "We are thrilled with the diversity of industries represented by the companies entering the competition," said Dave Feldman, Vice Consul of Investment for Invest.UK. "Because of financial incentives, a business-friendly environment, and the UK's a strong network of incubators and science parks, we attracted both early- and mid-staged companies." "The number of entries shows companies on both sides of the Atlantic realize the value of moving into new markets," said Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of the FCEDA. "Fairfax County is the right place for British companies to locate in the U.S. because of our location near Washington, D.C., our technology base, our work force, schools and quality of life." Award Packages The U.S. winner will be awarded a choice of a U.K. incubator or science park best suited for the company's international expansion. The package will likely include one year's free rent, management services; lab space and equipment; access to support staff, facilities and conference rooms, access to valuable advice and a ready-made business network. U.K. business incubators and science parks are an important link in that country's technology sectors. The British winner, which must be a biotech company, will get a free year of rent and business development services in the Fairfax County BioAccelerator, a bioscience business incubator. Competition Organizers and Sponsors Joining with the FCEDA and Invest.UK this year as competition organizers are the UK Science Park Association, UK Business Incubation, BritishAmerican Business Inc, Confederation of British Industry The Confederation of British Industry is a not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter[1] which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 and the Bio Industries Association of the United Kingdom. Additional sponsors are Cyril Leonard, HSBC HSBC Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation HSBC Humane Society of Broward County (Florida) HSBC Humane Society of Bay County (Bay County, Michigan) , Penningtons, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Taylor Wessing, the South East England Development Agency SEEDA, more officially the South East England Development Agency, is one of a number of Regional Development Agencies in the UK. It was set up in 1999 to promote the region and to enable a number of more difficult regeneration projects which otherwise might not take place. , and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol . About Invest.UK Invest.UK (www.investuk-usa.com) is the British Government's worldwide economic development agency; helping US companies set up in the UK or expand from a British base swiftly and smoothly. Invest.UK provides free, confidential and expert advice on all aspects of establishing a presence in the UK. About the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org) promotes Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia, in the United States. As of 2005, the estimated population of the county is 1,041,200;[1] making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and larger than seven states. , as a business and technology center. The FCEDA assists businesses by identifying possible sites and facilities, and is a source for demographic and economic statistics. The FCEDA has marketing representatives in London, Frankfurt and Tokyo. |
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