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As Jim Spigarelli observed, five years ago Kansas City was "underrepresented and not well known in biotechnology or the life sciences." That changed with the opening of the Stowers Institute and the formation of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI). Despite the evident will of the Kansas City community, these initiatives and others could not change a well-entrenched national playing field overnight. The task that faces Kansas City is large, so believes Tom Noffsinger. After years of working on the infrastructure, he thinks that now, at least, "We’re launched." The challenge from here on is to see if Kansas City has established critical mass in any of the areas necessary for the city to become a life science center. These include capital formation, basic research capabilities, personnel, and small business development. Kansas City, Noffsinger concedes, has not yet achieved critical mass. He described the current phase of Kansas City’s development as "gut it out time," the time when we see whether the city can move from launch to luminary. For the sake of definitions, Ron Trewyn of KSU was quick to define Kansas City as the natural I-70 stretch from Manhattan, KS to Columbia, MO. No one dissented. Trewyn’s is not an unrealistic consideration, especially given the potential of the agriculture and veterinary resources in that stretch. In light of Kansas City’s background, Spigarelli posed the question of whether new external events—most notably the genome project, 9-11 and its aftermath and anthrax—"give us a chance to get critical mass." These events have surely opened up opportunities, but more money equals more competition. Is there, he asked, a chance for Kansas City to take advantage of the opportunities that have been presented. |
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