Dave Zook Sees Stimulus Package Funding Lots of Good Science

Dave Zook of Baker & Daniels told the Indianapolis Business Journal that organizations across the country are moving quickly to pursue a piece of the federal stimulus pie, according to the weekly publication's story "Life Sciences Stand to Gain From Stimulus Spending."

"There's a lot of good science that this will fund," said Zook, a partner at Baker & Daniels and chairman of B&D Consulting, a division of the law firm. "It's jobs, too, and generally higher-paying jobs in key sectors and economic development drivers."

The Indianapolis Business Journal reported that Indiana and Purdue universities are well-positioned to take advantage of the $11.5 billion available for life sciences and biotech research from the stimulus package. Much of the money won't be awarded to private business but instead to colleges, governments and not-for-profits to create jobs and help move technologies from lab to market more quickly, the story said.

Combined, the universities could net more than $100 million, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. The IU School of Medicine is seeking grants to renovate research buildings, support existing studies and bolster a statewide biomedical research network it leads. Purdue wants funding to double the size of its 18,000-square-foot Bindley Bioscience Center in Discovery Park and to repair the heating and ventilation system at its cancer center, according to the story.

David Johnson, CEO of BioCrossroads, is confident Indiana entities will capture their fair share of funding, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. "We have the right kind of faculty, the right institutions and the right programs," Johnson was quoted as saying. "Overall, we will do very, very well."

BioCrossroads, a local life sciences development group, is forming teams to capitalize on multiple parts of the stimulus package, the story reported. B&D Consulting, based in Washington, D.C., consults BioCrossroads on federal affairs and tracked details of the bill for clients.