Some heavy-duty brainpower took part in a Research, Innovation and Economic Development in Biotechnology Roundtable at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute today, where US Senator Mark Warner was the guest of honor. Attracting more investment capital and more talent to the region were topics; Warner said afterward the Roanoke Valley needs to land one big fish – a company that’s also a major employer. FBRI executive director Michael Friedlander told Warner about other startups that began at the research institute’s Roanoke campus – only to be lured out of the valley to bigger locales like Boston or the West Coast.
