CIRM Strategic Plan Hearings Begin Tomorrow

The California stem cell agency begins hearings into revisions of its strategic plan with a session Tuesday (Feb. 3, 2009) in San Francisco and another in Carlsbad near San Diego on Feb. 20.

The meetings will be heavily focused on industry concerns. Here are some of the questions being addressed tomorrow:

"What are the biggest challenges faced by commercial participants in this sector?

"What should the basic/translational/clinical balance of CIRM’s portfolio be today in order to reach the goals set out in Prop. 71? 18 months from now? Three/five years from now?

"What form should CIRM funding to companies take? Should there be company specific RFAs? Should there be something like SBIRs? Is there a preference between loans (recourse and non-recourse) and grants?

"Do reimbursement uncertainties impact your evaluation of financial opportunities presented by this sector? Should CIRM take a significant role in the discussion around placing a reimbursement value on 'cures?'

"Given that many of CIRM’s policies and regulations are locked in by law, are there any of them that are causing significant blocks to our strategic goals and are there ways to make adjustments to those policies and stay within the framework of the Prop 71 statute."

If you are unable to attend the meetings, you can submit written testimony to info@cirm.ca.gov.

You can find specific locations here and the agenda here.