Symposium Sponsors

VBC - Virginia Bioinformatics Consortium

The overall vision of the Virginia Bioinformatics Consortium is to build explicit links among the universities with the result that each university will benefit from the investments and expertise at the others. Together, the consortium members will present a more coherent resource, with more fully developed intellectual property, to potential industrial partners. By building strong effective collaborative service and research relationships among the four institutions, we believe we can cut in half the time required for the universities in Virginia to present comprehensive Bioinformatics resources to industrial partners.

VCU Life Sciences

The unifying vision for VCU Life Sciences centers on the study of the interrelationships among all the biological components of life and involves everything from genes to ecological environments to human behavior.  Thomas F. Huff, Vice Provost.

ISBDD - Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery at VCU

Directed by Donald J. Abraham, Ph.D., the purpose of the Institute is to invent and develop therapeutic agents using an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes the interface of structural biology, molecular medicine, and biotechnology.

University of Parma
Universita' degli Studi di Parma
Instituto di Scienze Biochimiche
Parco Area delle Scienze

A scientific cooperative agreement with University of Parma to promote academic exchange, broaden doctoral research, and mutual interchange of information, under the direction of Professor Andrea Mozzarelli, Faculty of Pharmacy.

CSBC - The Center for the Study of Biological Complexity at VCU

A think tank of faculty applying principles of complexity and integrative systems biology in their research and scholarly activity. Directed by Dr. Gregory A. Buck, the mission of the CSBC is to focus development of bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics at VCU.

Virginia Biotechnology Association

Promoting biotechnology industry in Virginia.  Mark Herzog, Executive Director.

Note to Sponsors and Potential Sponsors

an invitation for sponsorship

The Virginia Bioinformatics Consortium (VBC), VCU Life Sciences, VCU's Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, and VCU's Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, are hosting the first annual VBC Pharmacogenomics and Bioinformatics Symposium at the Omni Hotel in Richmond, Virginia June 12-14, 2002.  Presentations feature a wide spectrum of academic and commercial applications to broaden perspectives and encourage new collaborations with industry partners in biomedical research and discovery.  National and local speakers will discuss a broad range of topics from genomics to drug discovery and design. Selected speakers from each of the VBC members, VCU, GMU, UVA and VBI-VaTech, will describe research ongoing at their universities.  Please see the complete information about this symposium on the VBC web site, by clicking on the following link: http://vabioinfo.org/pharmacogenomics/. You are invited for an exclusive opportunity to sponsor this event.

What is the Virginia Bioinformatics Consortium?

A collaboration of investments and expertise at each of the four institutions: George Mason University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Polytechnic University (represented by the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute).  Together, the unified expertise will provide:

§                  more coherent resources

§                  reductions in research time

§                  fully developed intellectual property

§                  strong and effective collaborative service

§                  research relationships among and resources to our Industry Partners.

How Do I Sponsor and Participate?

You can sponsor by donating funds for general expense use, or host a key activity such as a beverage cart during the Evening Events, catering, refreshment breaks, printing (mailings, Poster Session, abstracts, etc).  Please join us by sponsoring this event through many opportunities during the Symposium.  You may contact Mike Bickford via email at Michael.Bickford@vcu.edu, by phone, (804) 828-7405, or reply with the attached response card.  

What are the Benefits of Sponsorship?

By sponsoring or hosting selected activities, you will make the Symposium more effective as a forum to unify expertise with industry partners, such as your firm. The following highlight the benefits of sponsoring our event:

§                  As a Gold Sponsor, receive free admissions to the Symposium for two attendees.

§                  As a Platinum Sponsor, receive free admissions and lodging for two attendees.

§                  Your firm’s logo printed on the T-shirts, which will be provided to symposium attendees.

§                  Your name, company name, and logo will be printed in our Symposium Program, printed copies of the abstracts, and posted on the internet page under Sponsors.

§                  Reach a vast audience from over 30 speakers and estimated 300 attendees.

§                  Network with decision-makers and interface with top talent.

Our Evening Event on Wednesday, June 12 will provide a forum to allow students and industry representatives to network and discuss opportunities during the students’ Poster Session and Career Fair.  You will be able to find the best talent for your firm in many disciplines, including: Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biomedical Engineering, Business (MBA, IT, Accounting, etc.), Pharmacy, Engineering, and others from these four universities.  At this Event, we will provide a table of 2’ X 5’ in the same room as the Posters, for each Sponsor. 

Please respond by May 20, 2002.  For questions, comments, details about sponsoring specific activities, or transacting your sponsorship by phone, contact Mike Bickford, (804) 828-7405; email is Michael.Bickford@vcu.edu.  Logos must be submitted in electronic file (email preferred, or disk).  Format must be jpeg, tiff, or eps.  Scanned images will be an additional charge of $35.  Please note that scans can only be of the quality in which they are provided.

You may download the Sponsor Form, complete and mail to:

Sponsors, thank you for your contribution and assistance to make this a great event.

Sincerely,

Mike Bickford

Deputy Director, Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery

Virginia Commonwealth University