University-industry partnership yield biomedical riches.

It may be time for the biomedical industry in Los Angeles to "break out.' Significant federal dollars, along with additional private and public funds, are currently being invested in the region's prestigious medical research institutions.

This presents enormous business opportunities for university-industry partnerships as new products and technologies become commercially viable.

There are four reasons why university-industry partnerships in the biomedical industry in Los Angeles should be encouraged by all levels of government - federal, state and local.

First, the economic future of Southern California will rely heavily upon what some economists are calling the high-brainpower or knowledge-value technologies.

The development of these technologies is dependent on new ideas, research and personnel flowing from our universities. It also depends upon the entrepreneurial spirit that exists within industry.

An educational and business infrastructure should be in place that leverages public and private research dollars. This will also foster academic and industry learning and interaction.

Second, researchers at Caltech, Cedar-Sinai, UCLA, USC and other institutions are leading the way in the development of new technologies that potentially offer bold solutions to devastating diseases like AIDS, Alzheimer's and cancer. It will be an economic tragedy if mechanisms are not in place to have these technologies commercialized here.

Third, the biomedical industry will have large multiplier effects. High-brainpower technologies like telecommunications, interactive media, and microelectronics all have significant impact on other high-tech sectors. The biomedical industry itself fosters continuous innovation in software, hardware, sensors, composites and advanced "designer materials."

The region's growing ability to cross-pollinate innovation in a wide range of high-technology is a remarkable strength. Local economic and political leadership should seek ways to support a range of core industries like biomed, interactive media, electronics, materials and environmental technologies.

Fourth, by investing in Los Angeles' science and technology infrastructure, we make the region more attractive to investors, foreign and domestic.

For all these reasons, and more, university-industry partnerships in Los Angeles, working with government at all levels, need to explore ways of taking the biomed industry into the next phase of its growth.

I have proposed a Biomedical Industry and Science Park to be located in the San Fernando Valley. One excellent location is the bulldozed 37 acres zoned for light industrial use at the vacant 100-acre General Motors Van Nuys site. An advantage is its proximity to existing major research institutions in Los Angeles, as well as easy access to affordable housing.

The proposed science and industry park will be the first step in the development of a high-tech 101 corridor that could one day stretch from the San Fernando Valley, past Van Nuys Airport, all the way to Santa Barbara.

A biomedical park will focus Los Angeles' efforts to assist the biomedical industry, not to mention other knowledge-based and creative industries. The park will exist as an initial center of activity while publicizing the existence of the nascent industry.

Innovative business infrastructure will be provided at the site. The Integrated Manufacturing Engineering Center at UCLA has proposed a combined education, research, and product-development program that will provide computer support to companies located there.

Companies will have access to full technical support in information and communication technology, including the latest in simulation-based design and remote database access. These types of federally supported generic information technologies then could be transferred to other sectors throughout the regional industrial base.

There are numerous successful university-industry partnerships in the biomedical industry throughout the United States. Consider the case of East Baltimore's BioCenter. This is a $26 million project that provides manufacturing space for biomed start-ups from nearby research institutions such as Johns Hopkins University. We can initiate a similar project in Los Angeles to assist emerging biomedical firms throughout the region.

Across the country, there is a clear recognition of the commercial possibilities of the industry, and the importance of public-private partnerships. Biomedical technologies, and related sectors like "designer materials," are too valuable to ignore.

An industry and science park in the San Fernando Valley can be an important first step for Los Angeles in supporting a diverse base of high technologies. As with other regions, we need to learn how to fashion new ways of doing business in an era of increasing globalization in science, technology and commerce.

Democratic Rep. Howard L. Berman represents California's 26th District.