What’s Inside: Meet the 2024 Catalyst Awards Winners; Local Election Results Summary; Carlsbad Climate Action Plan Approved; Meeting Space at #JPM25; and more.

See below for some of the latest news, trends, and resources surrounding the San Diego life science industry. As always, if you have company news or information you’d like included, please get in touch.

News from Biocom California San Diego

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Meet the 2024 Catalyst Awards Winners
Last night, we recognized the most inspiring and driven minds who are sparking meaningful change to human health through research, discovery and entrepreneurship—all before their 40th birthdays—at our Annual Gala. Nearly 650 life science industry professionals and supporters attended the event at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla, which was highlighted by a tribute to our outgoing president and CEO, Joe Panetta. 

This year’s Catalyst Awards winners are a group of ten individuals who are igniting innovation in California’s vibrant life science community. A special congratulations to the San Diego-based winners:

• Tyler Brown, Founder, Chair and President, OUTbio San Diego
• Ana Moreno, Founder and CEO, Navega Therapeutics
• Hunter Reed, VP, Alexandria Venture Investments

Advocacy & Public Policy

General Election Results Summary 
The closely watched race for Board of Supervisors between incumbent Terra Lawson-Remer and Kevin Faulconer has Lawson-Remer ahead by 13 points. Chair Nora Vargas and Supervisor Joel Anderson have likely won reelection by wide margins. Measure G to fund transportation in the county is trailing but too close to call. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria defeated challenger Larry Turner. Heather Ferbert has won the race for City Attorney, and incumbent Councilmembers Stephen Whitburn and Sean Elo-Rivera won reelection handily. Measure E, which would have a big impact on funding for city services, is behind slightly and is too close to call. Incumbent Mayor of Oceanside Esther Sanchez pulled ahead in her race by 31 votes as of this publication. 

In Other News: 

Capital Development

Biocom California’s Meeting Space: Your #JPM25 Retreat
Back again for the eighth year and an exclusive benefit for Biocom California members, we are offering free meeting space at Omni San Francisco Hotel during the JPM Healthcare Conference. Conveniently located less than a mile away from the conference venue, this multipurpose gathering space with meeting tables and light refreshments offers our members a relaxed environment to network, hold valuable one-on-one partnering discussions and regroup between activities.  If you are interested in utilizing this space, click here to submit an interest form.

Talent & Workforce

Become a Mentor for Our Life Science Career Fellowship Program
Join Biocom California Institute in shaping the next generation of life science professionals through our six-month Life Science Career Fellowship. This program supports underrepresented job seekers, including first-generation college students and veterans. As a mentor, you’ll guide a fellow in navigating their career path and help them achieve their goals. Mentors must be employed at a life science company during the program (January through June). We value your commitment to advancing the industry and look forward to embarking on this journey together. Apply here.
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Onsite Volunteer Opportunity
Looking for an enriching team-building event to close out the year? Make a difference for students in underserved and under-resourced communities by building hands-on science kits that, in partnership with San Diego County Office of Education, will be delivered directly to schools in our region. This volunteer opportunity can be done at company events, both on an off-site. Your efforts can bring joy, creativity, and educational opportunities to children who need them most. Contact Silvana DelPiccolo to learn more.

San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering 2025
The annual San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering returns March 1, 2025, at Petco Park. The festival is free and open to the public, attracting over 17,000 attendees each year and hosting over 170 plus exhibitors. The festival is a collective effort between industry, business leaders, government, community organizations, public outreach centers, academia, schools and school districts, and parents. To learn more about participating, contact Silvana DelPiccolo.
 
Women Who Inspire Conference 2025
Generation STEAM’s Women Who Inspire Conference is returning to San Diego on March 6 in celebration of International Women’s Day. This day-long conference serves 200 high school girls from Title 1 schools across San Diego. This program sends an inclusive message about what makes a successful STEAM professional, exposes students to careers and career paths they may not have known existed and empowers them to envision themselves in these roles.  To learn more about getting involved, contact Annie Warner. 

Core Savings

Increase Your Confidence When Sending Important Shipments
Whether you’re shipping or receiving samples, equipment, medical devices or other pricey and fragile items, it’s important that you can be confident that your package will arrive where it should be, when it should be. FedEx‘s complimentary picture proof of delivery increases confidence in the delivery process by providing enhanced transparency and increased control. Want to get started? Enrollment in the new program is quick and easy. Click here to set up a new FedEx account or enroll your existing FedEx account in the Biocom California savings program. 

Cultura CEO, Anne Benge, Wins San Diego Business Journal Award
Congratulations to Anne Benge for being named a San Diego Business Journal CEO of the Year in the Small Private Company category. For Cultura, #LoveWhereYouWork is not only its slogan; it’s the heart of its culture and mission to positively impact workspaces across Southern California. In Anne’s own words, “I get up every day loving where I work because I get to create places for others so they can love where they work. For me, it’s about that joy.” Read the article highlighting Anne’s mission to promote a people-first culture here. 

Committees

December 12 | Regulatory Affairs Committee Meeting: FDA User Fee Updates | Virtual
December 19 | San Diego EH&S Committee Meeting | Virtual

Community & Events

December 3 | The Business Case for Diversity in Clinical Trials | San Diego
December 11 | C-Suite Roundtable: Strategies for JPM Attendees | San Diego
January 12 | Biocom California at JPM 2025 | Bay Area