PEPTI

Temple University, Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Department of Community and Economic Development Establish Pennsylvania Environmental Center for Pharmaceutical Industry with $1.6 Million Feb. 9

The new Center for Pennsylvania Environmental Technologies for the Pharmaceutical Industry (PETPI) will offer technological support to the the pharmaceutical industry in the Delaware Valley--and make Temple University a worldwide hub for research and development dealing with the green manufacture of medicines.. 

The Temple University Office of Research and Strategic Initiatives honored Rominder Suri, the founder of the center and an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Temple College of Engineering, with a reception marking the establishment of the center on Monday, Feb. 9.

Rebecca O. Bagley, the deputy secretary of technology investment for the Pennsylvania  Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), presented a check for $1.6 million to Suri and Larry Lemanski, the senior vice president for research and strategic initiatives at Temple.

“Temple has really invested in getting outstanding people who can translate basic research into useful applications,” Lemanski said. "The Commonwealth is matching that commitment with this grant." The Center for Pennsylvania Environmental Technologies for the Pharmaceutical Industry will establish a source for the technology and expertise that will help pharmaceutical companies and businesses that work with them minimize their effect on the environment.

The center, Suri says, "will be developing cost and energy efficient technologies with a goal of having an economic impact--both on new and existing companies. The vision is to create a technology hub, of global prominence, in the region to make Pennsylvania more attractive to the pharmaceutical, engineering design and equipment manufacturing industries." Research will be conducted in state-of-the-art labs to develop new technologies and processes for pharmaceutical waste management, create business opportunities for engineering design firms and equipment vendors, create employment opportunities, develop a high tech work force, and advance environmental stewardship.

"We will bring all the latest research here, provide the expert knowledge needed for research and development, and then export the technology--not just in the Delaware Valley, but all over the world," Suri says. "Due to the high energy costs there is a lot of industry interest in energy efficient waste treatment technologies. Equipment manufacturers have a need to optimize their equipment for lower energy consumption, in order to to compete in the global market. By implementing high energy efficiency technologies, the pharmaceutical  industry can minimize the impact of waste management on the cost of goods sold."

A researcher whose interests include emerging contaminants, sustainable technologies, and reactor engineering and process design, Suri received his Ph.D. degree in environmental engineering from Michigan Technical University in 1995. He was previously a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Villanova University where he directed the Center for the Environment.

“Ben Franklin partnered with Temple University to support this important initiative because it has the potential to impact so many aspects of our lives, " said RoseAnn B. Rosenthal,president of BFTP. "PETPI is a pharmaceutical technology hub of global prominence in the region. It affirmatively partners with the pharmaceutical industry, which is so important to our region, to insure that drug development and environmental protection are compatible objectives. It’s efforts will interact with, attract and create pharmaceutical companies and high technology jobs for the region.”

The grant from DCED also assisted Suri in winning a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to establish a national Center at Temple on Water and Environmental Technology (WET). This NSF WET Center is between Temple University, University of Arizona and Arizona State University, with Temple as the Lead university. Dr Suri will direct this newly formed NSF center. The goal of this Center is to perform environmental research and development for industry including the Department of Defense, and to promote the national water quality.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) of SE PA assisted Temple in the development of PETPI’s proposal to DCED. Representatives of each industry sector and Ben Franklin will serve on PETPI’s Advisory Board, which will direct general policies and procedures.

BFTP will assist the center in technology commercialization. The technologies developed in the center will lead to creation of new companies in Pennsylvania, development of high tech work worce, and creation and retention of new jobs in the Commonwealth. The center will offer an Environmental Network of Excellence for Pharma and related Industries such as equipment manufacturers and engineering design firms, according to Suri. The grant from DCED also assisted Suri in winning a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to establish a national Center at Temple for water and environmental technology.

Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education is a comprehensive public research university with more than 34,000 students. It has a distinguished faculty in 17 schools and colleges, including schools of Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Podiatry, and Dentistry, and a renowned Health Sciences Center. Temple is one of Pennsylvania 's three public research universities, along with the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University . The Carnegie Foundation has designated Temple as Research University/High Research Activity, including it among the top universities in the nation with comprehensive curricula and nationally recognized research programs. More information about research at Temple is available at the web site www.research.temple.edu. 

The Department of Community and Economic Development was created to foster opportunities for businesses and communities to succeed and thrive in a global economy, enabling Pennsylvanians to achieve a superior quality of life. Led by Acting Secretary John Blake, the Department ensures growth and development in businesses and communities across Pennsylvania. More information about the department is available at its web site, www.newpa.com .

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA is the region’s catalyst for stimulating entrepreneurial potential, investing in innovative enterprises and create commercialization pathways that generate wealth through science and technology. Part of a statewide network in Pennsylvania, Ben Franklin provides entrepreneurs and established businesses with the capital, knowledge and networks to compete in the global marketplace. BFTP have provided more than $130 million to grow more than 1,600 regional enterprises, and are founding partners of The Nanotechnology Institute™ (NTI), Mid-Atlantic Nanotechnology Alliance (MANA®), Emerald Stage2 Venture Fund, Minority Angel Investor Network, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Technologies for the Pharmaceutical Industry (PETPI). Ben Franklin is part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Partnership.More information is available at www.sep.benfranklin.org .

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