You can't win if you don't play, the saying goes. And you can't be seen as a player if you don't show up. Which is why Indiana University faculty and staff will be taking their stations May 6-9, 2007, to tell the world about IU's life sciences initiatives at the BIO 2007 conference in Boston .

The annual conference attracts nearly 20,000 biotechnology professionals from around the globe to catch up on trends and issues, make business connections and check out the participants in the massive exhibit hall.

That's where IU is once again collaborating with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and other state life sciences organizations to staff a 1,500-square-foot exhibit hall pavilion that will showcase Indiana 's life sciences strengths. In addition to IU, primary sponsors of the Indiana exhibit include Dow AgroSciences and Ivy Tech Community College .

"Indiana University has established a very aggressive set of goals for further expanding its life sciences and technology transfer capacity," said Adam W. Herbert, president of Indiana University . "The Indiana Life Sciences Initiative will bring substantial new life sciences research dollars to the state of Indiana , foster many new spin-off companies and create thousands of new jobs. As our exhibits and presentations at the 2007 BIO conference illustrate, IU undertakes this ambitious long-term plan from a position of significant experience and intellectual strength.”

"I am pleased that we have such a strong presence lined up to participate in BIO '07,” said Michael A. McRobbie, president-elect of Indiana University. “This is an opportunity for us to again demonstrate our state-wide commitment to greatly expand our life sciences research and teaching enterprises. As we move forward with this plan, it will be increasingly important for our faculty and technology transfer professionals to interact with innovators in biotechnology sciences from around the world and to connect with investors and other potential partners who are interested in making biotechnology an engine for economic growth in Indiana."

The partnership approach IU is taking in its presence at BIO 2007 demonstrates the university's commitment to collaboration with Life Sciences Initiative, said D. Craig Brater, vice president of IU with responsibility for life sciences and dean of the IU School of Medicine.

"This is an initiative that will have a statewide impact on the economy and Hoosiers' health, and we want to demonstrate our direction to the world," Brater said.

In addition to Brater, faculty representing the university in the exhibit and at conference panel discussions will be:

• Robert Hickey, associate professor of medicine and researcher at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center .
• Robert Jones, associate vice president of IU for life sciences and executive associate dean for strategic planning, analysis and operations at the IU School of Medicine.
• Keith March, director of the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine.
• Eric Meslin, director of the IU Center for Bioethics.
• David Stocum, director of the IU Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine.

IU's delegation will also include members from the Indiana University Research Technology Corporation and the Indiana University Emerging Technologies Center , including Mark Long, president of IURTC.

IU also will be connecting with its Boston-area alumni at a "Hoosier Comeback" luncheon on Monday May 7, sponsored by IU, Purdue University and the IEDC.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, state and international affiliates, and related organizations.