Austin’s profile as a healthcare hub has been growing, helped by the establishment of the Dell Medical School at University of Texas at Austin, the growth of technology companies in the region, the SxSW festival and the growing startup scene.
Capital City Innovation, a nonprofit launched last year at SxSW Interactive and tasked with fostering the development of a healthcare innovation network in Austin, with Dell Medical School at the center of it, has selected a founding executive director. Christopher Laing, vice president, Science and Technology, at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia, will start the new gig in September.
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Dell Medical School wrapped up its first year this month.
Some of the founding members of Capital City Innovation include the University of Texas at Austin, Central Health and Seton Healthcare Family, a member of Ascension.
Laing is tasked with bringing together government, business and community leaders in Austin, to align vision and goals for the innovation zone — 14 acres of downtown real estate held by Central Health — and to make meaningful connections across the Lone Star state. He’ll be expected to expand business opportunities, seed innovation activities, and support collaborations between healthcare and technology entrepreneurs, and the academic, public and private sectors.
In response to emailed questions, Laing said that one aspect of his new role that he’s looking forward to is working with Austin community, business, and academic leaders to define the strategy for the innovation zone.
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“Leveraging Austin’s recognized strengths in tech and the creative industries makes sense. There is also a quiet, but significant, life science sector in Austin.”
It may soon be getting louder. Austin City Council approved a deal in April with Merck in which the big pharma business will build a tech hub near Dell Medical School. The deal is expected to bring 600 jobs to the region.
Laing, who hails from Sydney, Australia, listed some of the highlights of his tenure at the Science Center.
“A lot of people talk about the city’s renaissance – and in my view, there is no area in which this is more evident than in [Philadelphia’s] innovation ecosystem. In the time since I started at the Science Center, I’ve witnessed the universities ramp up their technology commercialization activities several-fold – many reinventing their models. The Science Center has been an active partner in that process, enabling us to create a number of new programs to help start and grow new companies – QED, the Digital Health Accelerator, Phase 1 Ventures and others. But what I’ve learned is that none of these things happen in a bubble. It’s all about collaborating, and Philadelphia knows how to collaborate! ”
He also noted his role in helping to convene and staff the Science Center’s Scientific Advisory Committee, comprising the vice presidents of research from academic institutions in the region.
The Kauffman Institute ranked Texas second for startup activity last year. Texas was the scene of seven digital health deals that amounted to $35 million in the second quarter of 2017, according to a PwC-CB Insights Money Tree report on venture capital investment.
Photo: Getty Images
