Jim Register (Photo courtesy, IEDA)

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has hired Jim Register as president and CEO of the Iowa Innovation Corporation (IICorp), according to an IEDA release. Register will lead the board-approved plan to transition IICorp, the state’s public-private partnership for economic development, to serve as a new Iowa biosciences development center (IBDC).

Previously, IEDA and the Iowa Innovation Council – a business-led group that advises IEDA on the development and implementation of public policies that enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in targeted industries – commissioned a third-party analysis of Iowa’s bioscience industry by TEConomy Partners, LLC. The findings, released in December 2017, informed the biosciences development roadmap.

Establishing the IBDC satisfies one of four strategic goals outlined in the roadmap. The study also identified four platforms for industry and economic growth, which will be the focus of the IBDC: vaccines and immunotherapeutics, precision and digital agriculture, biobased chemicals and medical devices.

In this new role, Register will bring together partners from research institutions, global companies, entrepreneurs, investors and government to accelerate bioscience sector growth and development in Iowa. The objective of this effort is to drive commercialization of new ideas and technologies that will contribute to overall economic growth for this important sector in the state.

Read the full IEDA press release at www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com