INDUSTRY

Research Organization Formerly Known as Venter Institute is Renamed The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG): Claire Fraser-Liggett, Ph.D., is TIGR Division President, Robert Strausberg, Ph.D., is Named President of TCAG Division: The Boards of Directors of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), The Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR) and the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation (JCVSF) today announced the consolidation of these affiliated organizations into one organization, the J. Craig Venter Institute. The research organization formerly known as JCVI will be renamed The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG). J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., was named as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the new JCVI. TIGR, now a division of the JCVI, will continue to be led by Claire Fraser-Liggett, Ph.D., as President. Eric Eisenstadt, Ph.D., will remain as VP for Research at TIGR. TCAG will also be a division of the JCVI and will be led by new President, Robert Strausberg, Ph.D., with Marv Frazier, Ph.D., maintaining his role as VP of Research at TCAG. Both operating divisions will retain their existing research and administrative staff members. With six buildings and more than 250,000 square feet of lab space for combined assets of more than $200 million, the consolidated JCVI is now one of the largest independent research institutes in the Unites States. Total number of employees is 520, 392 of whom are dedicated to research and 124 of those having doctoral degrees. The new organization also boasts one Nobel Laureate and three members of the National Academy of Sciences. Drs. Venter, Fraser-Liggett, Strausberg, Eisenstadt, and Frazier made the following statement about the consolidated organization: "After much planning and discussions over the last year we and our boards of directors decided that consolidating all the affiliated organizations into one not for profit research institute was a very financially, administratively and scientifically prudent step for us. We are excited by the potential new collaborations and funding opportunities the consolidated J. Craig Venter Institute affords us. While TIGR and the former JCVI have been leading the way in genomic breakthroughs for more than 15 years, we are now confident that our unified organization will be an even greater scientific force in genomic research."