2M In Corridor Funding Awarded

LANSING — Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced last week that $2 million from the Life Sciences Corridor company formation fund was awarded for 11 proposals that will create 10 new companies and more than 180 new jobs.

The fund was designed to assist former Pfizer scientists in starting new companies. Ten of the proposals originated from Kalamazoo County and one from Ann Arbor.

“This fund will be the catalyst for starting several new profitable life sciences ventures throughout the state of Michigan and helping to continue Michigan’s rich pharmaceutical heritage,” Granholm stated.

She referred to the awards as “another step forward” in keeping Pfizer workers here.

According to the governor’s office, all the proposals funded have pharmaceutical ties but focus on a wide range of specialties, including contract research, contract chemistry, drug discovery and pre-clinical profiling.