2025 Utah Life Sciences Summit Awards Nominations Now Open

Nominations are now open for the 2025 BioUtah Life Sciences Summit (ULSS) awards. Each year, as part of the annual ULSS, BioUtah presents its life sciences awards to individuals and/or companies that have made a significant impact in advancing the industry in Utah. The awards include the following:

• Lifetime Achievement
  (2024 Recipient: Dr. Dean Wallace of Liger Medical)
• Entrepreneur of the Year
  (2024 Recipient: Jay Muse of Slipstream Medical)
• Executive of the Year
  (2024 Recipient: Brad Brown, ATL Technology)
• Innovation Impact
  (2024 Recipient: Blackrock Neurotech)
• Friend of Industry
  (2024 Recipient: Vic Hockett of Talent Ready Utah)

Please click on the button below to submit a nomination. Nominations will be accepted through August 22, 2025. BioUtah's board members will then review each nomination and select the winners of each award to be announced prior to the ULSS scheduled for November 12, 2025 at the Hilton Hotel.

Nominate »

U.S. SBA Holds Life Sciences Roundtable

On July 16, 2025, the U.S. Small Business Administration invited representatives of Utah's small business life sciences community to participate in a roundtable event allowing the SBA to hear directly from companies the concerns they had about the economy and the factors affecting the industry. Those present shared their perspectives on sourcing funding, regulatory burdens, government funding and cuts to programming important to our industry, and tariffs, among other things. Thanks to the following companies for their participation in this event: Zien Medical, J3 Biocsiences, Co-Diagnostics, Clene Nanomedicine, Incarda Bio, Turner Innovations, Liger Medical, DiscGenics, and BioUtah, who helped organize the event. Thank you to the SBA for listening.

Utah Business 2025-2026 Editorial Advisory Board Includes Kelvyn Cullimore

Catherine Bennett, Executive Editor at Utah Business, recently announced the Editorial Advisory Board for 2025-26. She stated the group was hand-picked to represent the business community with each member being tethers to their respective industries. Included in this year's advisory board is Kelvyn Cullimore, CEO of BioUtah.

"We have many great stories to tell in the life sciences industry in Utah," stated Cullimore. "I look forward to advocating for coverage of our industry through this advisory board and raising awareness of the life sciences industry generally among Utah Business readers."

More »

Utah Business Opens Nominations for 2025 Best Companies to Work For Awards

Utah Business is now accepting nominations for their annual Best Companies to Work For awards, recognizing organizations deemed the best places to work by their employees. To qualify, companies must have at least 25 employees working in Utah. Awards will be presented in five categories based on organization size: micro, small, medium, large, and extra-large.

Nominations will close September 15, 2025.

Submit a Nomination »

Canary Speech Selected as Partner Company for LG NOVA 2024–2025 Mission for the Future

LG Nova is on a mission to partner with innovative entrepreneurs and startups to help create technology solutions that will shape tomorrow for the better. Eight companies have been chosen from over 1,000 submissions as Partner Companies for the current program cohort. These companies will gain access to global resources, investment opportunities, and the chance to shape the future of digital health. Congratulations to new BioUtah member, Canary Speech for being chosen as a Partner Company!

More »

TIME Lists America's Best Mid-Size Companies of 2025

TIME and Statista have created the second annual list of the best mid-sized companies in the U.S., ranked by employee satisfaction, revenue growth, and sustainability transparency. Congratulations to the following local life sciences companies for making the list:

• Edward’s Life Sciences #41
• Bruker #267
• Myriad Genetics #303
• ICU Medical #363

In addition to these locals, BioUtah member, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, was ranked #4.

More »

New Intern Introduction: Grace Gibby

BioUtah is excited to welcome Grace Gibby to our team as our newest intern. Grace is currently pursuing pre-med studies at the University of Utah and brings a strong interest in healthcare and the life sciences. In her role, she will support membership data management, assist with event planning, and contribute to a variety of projects that help advance our mission. We’re thrilled to have Grace on board and look forward to the energy and perspective she brings to our work in growing Utah’s life sciences industry.

BioUtah Members – We're Upgrading Our CRM

BioUtah is pleased to announce that we are upgrading our internal CRM tool to better serve our constituency. You will start to notice some of those changes soon, including opportunities for members to update their member directory listings, among other things. Glitches are anticipated, but we hope they will be few. The transition should be complete by the end of August.

Purgo Scientific Appoints Industry Leader Tim Nieman to Board of Directors

Purgo Scientific has appointed Tim Nieman, currently CEO of Zien Medical, to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Nieman brings over two decades of expertise in engineering, R&D, manufacturing, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and business development. His background as an entrepreneur, engineering professional, and board member aligns strongly with Purgo’s mission to revolutionize infection control.

More »

Utah Rare Disease Advisory Council Gets New Leadership

Utah's Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC), administered by BioUtah, in conjunction with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, met on July 15 to conduct business and transition to a new leadership team. Stepping down as RDAC Chair after four years of exemplary service is Lorenzo Botto, MD. Botto has long served the rare and undiagnosed patient community as a physician in the University of Utah's Health System. Gina Szajnuk, current vice-chair, moves up to chair. Szajnuk, an undiagnosed patient along with her three children, has been an advocate for years and continues to serve as the executive director of the Rare and Undiagnosed Network, or RUN, which she founded.

The RDAC elected Sylvia Lam as the new vice-chair. Lam heads up the United Angels organization and has been instrumental in building the RDAC's outreach strategies. Gholson Lyon, MD, will remain as secretary for the remainder of the year.

The RDAC is charged to be an advisory board for the Utah legislature and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding rare disease considerations.

More »

University of Utah Founders Day Distinguished Alumni Awards

The University of Utah Office of Alumni Relations annually presents its Founders Day Distinguished Alumni Awards to alumni for their outstanding professional achievements, public service, and/or commitment to the U. Nominations are now being accepted. Click through for more information.

The award presentations will take place during the Founders Day celebration at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House in February 2026.

Nominations due by 11:59 PM MT, Sept. 12, 2025.

Submit a Nomination »

Brain-to-Text '25 Competition

The Brain-to-Text ’25 competition is calling on teams around the world to push the boundaries of what’s possible — decoding attempted speech directly from intracortical brain signals with greater speed, accuracy, and generalizability.

Utah's Blackrock Neurotech is honored to sponsor prizes for the winners of this initiative led by the trailblazing BrainGate Team and the University of California, Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab, whose work is transforming the future of communication for people with speech impairments.

The competition closes December 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM (PST). Winners will be chosen and announced in February 2026.

More »

Good Medicine: How Australia Is Reshaping Clinical Trials | Daniel Evans

David Bearss, PhD, sits down with Daniel Evans of Southern Star Research to explore how Australia is becoming a global leader in Phase 1 clinical trials. They discuss how the country’s streamlined regulatory environment and government incentives are helping biotech companies move faster and more efficiently. Tune in to get a glimpse of a more agile, innovative path forward.

More »

UPS Healthcare brings reliability, scalability, and security to life sciences companies every day with dedicated end-to-end logistics solutions. BioUtah members have access to exclusive rates and discounts on shipping services like UPS Next Day Air®, UPS Ground Commercial, and UPS Worldwide International.

More »

Waters Corporation, BD's Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions Business to Combine

Waters Corporation and BD announced a definitive agreement to combine BD's Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business with Waters, creating an innovative life sciences and diagnostics leader with pioneering technologies and an industry-leading financial outlook. The change will not directly impact BD operations here in Utah.

More »

Rep. Carter Introduces Bipartisan PBM Reform Package

Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) has introduced the PBM Reform Act, which protects patients and pharmacies from the harmful business practices of PBMs. Key provisions in the bill include:

• A ban on “spread pricing” in Medicaid.
• Fair and adequate reimbursement for pharmacies serving Medicaid beneficiaries.
• Delinking PBM compensation from a drug's list price under Medicare Part D.

More »

FDA Embraces Radical Transparency by Publishing Complete Response Letters

The U.S. FDA published more than 200 decision letters, known as complete response letters (CRLs). The CRLs were issued in response to applications submitted to the FDA for approval of drugs or biological products between 2020 and 2024, marking a significant step in the agency’s broader initiatives to modernize and increase transparency.

More »

LDT Rule Vacated: FDA Backs Down, but Uncertainty Remains

BioUtah member, Gardner Law, provides perspective on the LDT rule being vacated. In May, a federal court vacated the FDA’s controversial rule on LDTs, holding that the agency lacked statutory authority. FDA chose not to appeal, so the rule is officially off the books. However, the policy debate may not be over. Read Gardner's alert to gain a better legal perspective on the matter.

More »

BioUtah Legislative Policy Call

BioUtah held its monthly policy call on June 26 reviewing activity of the Utah state legislature as well as policy developments at the federal level. 

To view the agenda from the June 26 call, click here.

To sign up for future calls in 2025, click here. There is no call in July. 

VITAL Funding Opportunities & Accelerator Program

VITAL is an accelerator hub in the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Accelerator Network (BAN). The BAN fosters the growth of the global health security innovation ecosystem by supporting early-stage companies to overcome their business, marketing, and operational hurdles. VITAL supports the development of innovative therapeutics solutions in alignment with BARDA’s mission to promote health security, and is managed by Start2 Group, with partners Advise Connect Inspire (ACI) and BioLabs.

• Non-Dilutive Funding for DEV 6-Month Long Projects: $50K - $200K per award. Deadline is September 26, 2025.
• Non-Dilutive Funding for PrEP 3-Year Long Projects: $4M - $7.SM per award. Deadline is September 26, 2025.
• Accelerator Program 6-Month Long: Individualized mentoring from subject matter experts and access to the BARDA network.
• Start2 Group: Internationalization programs for Asian & LatAm life sciences startups (since 2023).

More »

Discuss Your SBIR/STTR Funding Needs with a Program Director

Are you seeking SBIR/STTR funding to help commercialize your cancer technology? Before you apply, we encourage you to schedule a one-on-one conversation with an NCI SBIR program director to:

• Get funding questions answered.
• Learn about opportunities.
• Receive guidance on the application process.

To get connected with a program director, email ncisbir@mail.nih.gov with an abstract, specific aims, or a quad chart describing your cancer technology.

More »

Non-dilutive Funding Monthly Grant Webinar

August 21, 2025
10:00 AM MT

G2G Consulting hosts a monthly webinar to review the latest federal non-dilutive funding opportunities for the life sciences industry. The webinar is free for BioUtah members.

Register »

Non-dilutive Funding Monthly Grant Report

The most recent GBG report has several non-dilutive government funding opportunities, notices of special interest, and other opportunities.

Access Report »

STEP Grants Available to Help Cover Costs of International Trade Shows and Trade Missions

Utah has received $500,000 to support export growth among small businesses as part of the SBA's State Trade Expansion Program (STEP). The grant aims to enhance global success for Utah companies and is administered by World Trade Center Utah in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

Grants – World Trade Center Utah »