Date: Oct 17, 1997 Source: idi records
In 1977 Collaborative Research, Inc. then located in Waltham, Massachusetts received an SBIR award in the first National Science Foundation SBIR program solicitation. The company, founded and headed by Dr. Orrie Friedman at the time, was the first firm to demonstrate the potential of SBIR to make a major difference in a company's future and to provide far greater public benefit in the process. Dr. Friedman was not only a pioneer in the first SBIR program but, in leveraging the results from a high risk idea that would not have taken place without SBIR support. Dr. Friedman gave testimony before Congress that demonstrate how important SBIR could be to a small, innovative company and to the country that contributed significantly to the passage of the first SBIR legislation.
SBIR provided the opportunity for a young British scientist at Collaborative, Dr. Allison Taunton-Rigby, with Dr. Friedman's encouragement, to submit their first genetics proposal for a cell biology company. To set this in context: this was early in the genetic game for a commercial firm; Genentec had just been founded. The challenging research project was not technically successful. However, it changed the history of the company and Collaborative Research gradually because solely a genomic firm - genetics was a hot area large companies and venture firms were interested. THe SBIR award quickly attracted a Dow Chemical contract and investment. Dow's investment brought in Merrill Lynch, for a total of $43 million in all. This funding resulted in Collaborative's cloning interferon, bovine enzymes and renin, the enzyme critical to cheese production. Dow licensed the renin patent to Pfizer which became the largest producer of renin in the world. It also discovered the cystic-fibrosis gene.
Friedman then invested $10 million to develop the first complete human genome map which was a major scientific achievement.... and most of the rest of genetics history. Subsequently, Collaborative receiving the largest private sector human genome project from the National Institutes of Health ($37 million). Friedman invested in the genome map because he believed that it would be a long term strategic vehicle for new drug development. It has been. The company now has four longer term drug development programs totaling more than $135 million from three large drug companies. Employment has grown from 33 to 260 employees, including two spin offs. These results all relate basically to the $225,000 investment made by NSF in an SBIR project in 1977. In 1994, Collaborative Research changes its name to Genome Therapeutics with Friedman then as chairman. Genome Therapeutics is now a leading company in the genome field and one of the most important fields in biotechnology.
Dr. Orrie Friedman was a pioneer in SBIR and in the conversion of genetics research results into significant socioeconomic benefits. He has said that "SBIR had a dramatic impact on Collaborative research and changed the history of the company. It has led to essentially all of the company's growth and I do not think the company would have moved significantly into a genetic field without it." At 82 years of age, Orrie Friedman has just founded The Grenfell Development Corporation to pursue additional new drug development.
