--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--
August 29, 2011
Contact: Tatiana Brailovskaya, Director of Communications, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; (207) 633-9633; www.bigelow.org; tbrailovskaya@bigelow.org
WEST BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME -- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has signed an Exclusive Technology License Agreement with Kennebec River Biosciences, (KRB), Inc.
Based in Richmond, Maine, KRB is an internationally-recognized biosciences company and has been a source of aquatic animal health products and services to industry, government, and academia for over 15 years. The Agreement is part of the framework stemming from Bigelow Laboratory’s $4.45 million Maine Technology Asset Fund award from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) in June 2009.
Founded in 1996, Kennebec River Biosciences performs diagnostic and certification testing on a variety of coldwater and warm water finfish, shellfish, and crustacean species--both from cultured and wild sources--and is recognized by numerous international, state, and provincial regulatory authorities.
“This is a natural partnership for us,” said William Keleher, Kennebec River Biosciences’ CEO and president. “KRB is the only commercial laboratory providing comprehensive testing and health services to farms, businesses, government agencies, and scientific research institutions involved with aquatic species. We’re looking forward to working with Bigelow scientists to conduct new scientific and product related research that helps solve important aquaculture and aquatic animal health problems.”
“This agreement will facilitate access and collaboration between the Laboratory and KRB and is a prime example of the gateway we’re building to encourage the transfer of new technologies for commercial applications in the private sector,” said marine virologist Dr. Willie Wilson, a Senior Research Scientist at the Laboratory and Director of its Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Culture of Marine Phytoplankton.
Mark Bloom, Bigelow Laboratory’s Director of Corporate Alliances and Technology Transfer noted that the Laboratory and KRB have had a long-standing research partnership.
“This Agreement takes that relationship to the next level, while multiplying the economic impact of the MTI funding,” Bloom said. “As KRB expands into the burgeoning field of aquaculture biologics R&D, the Laboratory’s marine virology research will play an important role in the process.”
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences an independent, non-profit center for global ocean research, ocean science education, and technology transfer. The Laboratory’s research ranges from microbial oceanography to the large-scale biogeochemical processes that drive ocean ecosystems and global environmental conditions. A recognized leader in Maine's emerging innovation economy, Bigelow Laboratory is spurring significant economic growth in the state through construction of a major Ocean Science and Education Campus in East Boothbay. The Laboratory’s Office of Corporate Alliances and Technology Transfer serves as a bridge between discovery science and commercialization partners.
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