GOVERNOR O’MALLEY CONTINUES “JOBS ACROSS MARYLAND TOUR”

FREDERICK COUNTY’S NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE AT RIVERSIDE RESEARCH PARK

FREDERICK, MD – As part of his commitment to stimulate job creation and help put unemployed Marylanders back to work, Governor Martin O’Malley yesterday continued his “Jobs Across Maryland” tour and visited the National Cancer Institute at Riverside Research Park, a 330,000 square foot advanced technology research facility being constructed in Frederick County. The research park is supporting up to 350 workers during construction, and will add approximately 200 additional jobs when complete.

“It’s our mission to create jobs, save jobs, and improve the conditions that allow our businesses large and small to create and save jobs,” said Governor O’Malley. “When completed, the Riverside Research Park will represent the type of job-creating, growth-sustaining, forward-moving progress that gives Maryland an edge to create jobs and compete and win in global economy. It will bring together government, private sector, non-profit, and academic researchers in common cause to discover and advances cures, treatments, and healing – saving lives while helping us advance our greatest job-creating, economic potential.”

“This facility represents a new era, in which understanding the genomic, proteomic, and altered cellular function of each individual cancer patient will drive the development of highly personalized and molecularly targeted approaches to early detection, risk reduction, and treatment of cancer,” said John E. Niederhuber, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute. “We also believe it will bring the right people—the most talented individuals available—to work, to train, and to create tomorrow’s lifesaving therapy for all patients. This facility embodies the creation of new technologies and new knowledge, which I believe will be a foundation for the future economic drivers so desperately needed by our state and our country.”

The $250 million project will house NCI’s Biopharmaceutical Development Program’s Manufacturing Facility, Advanced Biomedical Computing Facility, and administrative offices to oversee the agency’s partnerships with industry, academia and non-profits. Owned by Matan Companies and leased by SAIC, NCI-Frederick’s contractor, NCI at Riverside Research Park will be ready for occupancy in 2011. NCI intends to move 375 current employees and contractors into the facility and add approximately 200 new positions as other research operations are moved to the site.

“Frederick is very excited to be home to the Riverside Research Park and the new National Cancer Institute research center,” said Jan Gardner, President of the Frederick County Commissioners. “The mission of this project is to cure cancer. We are particularly proud that the advanced technology and life science research happening here will improve the health of people not only in Maryland but around the world. The interaction and synergy between the research at Fort Detrick, NCI, and other partner organizations will not only create jobs but improve the quality of life for everyone. This project is one of the most exciting projects in the State of Maryland.”

“Development and construction of NCI’s new facility brings strong economic impact to Frederick, as well as to many local businesses working as part of the construction project.” said Karl Morris, director of development, Matan Companies. “During construction, 170 people are working at the site per day, which totals more than 530,000 hours per month, and translates into an $11 million payroll for the entire project.”

At present, it takes 10 years and $1 billion to deliver a single cancer drug to the marketplace. NCI’s facility is designed to encourage collaboration between researchers, boost business development and cooperate with academic research institutions to maximize the impact of discovery on human health. Located in a BRAC Revitalization and Incentive Zone, Riverside Research Park is the first life sciences park in Frederick and is expected to fuel the region’s burgeoning bioscience industry. NCI-Frederick serves as anchor tenant for the park.

Frederick is home to more than 75 bioscience companies, making Frederick the second largest cluster of bioscience companies in the state. Fort Detrick and the National Cancer Institute-Frederick are the major drivers behind this biotech hub. There is more than $1.3 billion in new construction underway on Fort Detrick alone. The NCI-Frederick facility at Riverside Research Park will serve as anchor tenant for the first life sciences park in Frederick and will become an economic engine that continues to drive the growth of Frederick, and the State and the region’s bioscience industry.

“We are incredibly excited about the SAIC/NIH partnership and the life-saving research jobs that this project promises,” said Frederick Mayor Randy McClement. “I welcome Governor O’Malley to Frederick once again, and appreciate the focus that the City’s economic development effort has gotten from our state partners.”

In the past year, the O’Malley-Brown Administration has implemented an aggressive agenda of new and expanded programs to create jobs, retain jobs and improve the conditions that allow businesses large and small to create and save jobs, including:

· Increasing the biotech tax credit to $8 million in fiscal year 2011;
· Pioneering the Jobs Creation and Recovery Tax Credit;
· Expanding the Small Business Loan Guaranty program to increase access to credit; and
· Creating InvestMaryland, an administrative and legislative proposal designed to support the growth of the state’s knowledge based industries by stimulating investment in the Maryland Venture Fund.

Maryland’s economy continues to emerge from the national recession faster and stronger than other states. In April, the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.5 percent, 24 percent below that national rate of 9.9 percent. The addition of 8,200 jobs last month and approximately 36,000 jobs over the last 3 months marks the highest jobs gain for Maryland in at least 20 years.