CHARLESTON, April 26, 2004 – The leaders of the Medical
University of South Carolina (MUSC), Greenville Hospital System, Palmetto Health,
and the University of South Carolina (USC) today signed a memorandum of understanding
to establish the South Carolina Health Sciences Collaborative (SCHSC). The unprecedented
initiative calls for four of the state’s largest universities and health
systems to invest a total of $80 million over the next ten years to increase
health sciences research, drive economic development, and improve the health
status of the citizens of South Carolina.
Making the announcement were MUSC President Dr. Ray Greenberg, Greenville Hospital
System CEO Frank Pinckney, Palmetto Health CEO Kester Freeman, and USC President
Dr. Andrew Sorensen.
The investment will be structured so that each partner intends to contribute
$2 million per year—a total of $8 million per year— which is eligible
for matching contributions from the South Carolina Research Centers of Economic
Excellence Act, also known as the Endowed Chairs Program. This brings the monies
available for health sciences research to $16 million per year, $160 million
for ten years. The Endowed Chairs Program creates incentives for endowments
for professors in research areas, which in turn spur economic development for
the state of South Carolina.
The total investment in health sciences research has the potential to be significantly
higher than $160 million. The presence of a formal research entity like the
SCHSC greatly increases South Carolina’s ability to secure funding from
other sources such as the State’s Life Sciences Act, the federal government,
national research foundations and private entities. It also provides the stimulus
for attracting private businesses interested in tapping into the intellectual
capital that will result from the endowed chairs’ research.
Calling the announcement “historic,” MUSC’s Greenberg said
the unique collaboration between the hospitals and universities represents a
“triple play” for South Carolina in terms of increasing health sciences
research, accelerating economic development, and improving public health and
patient care.
“The investments in health sciences research that will result from this
collaboration, give South Carolina the fuel we need to attract more researchers,
generate more and better research, secure more national funding, and attract
more out-of-state businesses that will want to take advantage of the intellectual
powerhouse we create. Equally important, it allows us to develop more effective
treatment options, directly enhance quality care and outcomes for patients,
thereby improving the health of South Carolinians,” he continued.
Greenberg cited the fact that South Carolina is disproportionately affected
by stroke, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes when compared to other states.
Yet the state has limited resources to fight these problems. “Pooling
the financial and intellectual resources of our respective institutions presented
us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the course of South Carolina’s
future for the better,” he said.
The partners intend to create a research foundation that will provide a structure
and the vehicle for research, including clinical trials conducted by the universities
and hospitals. The non-profit foundation will be governed by a board of directors
composed, in part, of representatives from MUSC< Greenville Hospital System,
Palmetto Health, and USC. This will ensure the four entities have decision-making
control over how and where the monies will be invested as well as a formula
for sharing grant revenues, intellectual property, and indirect costs generated
by research initiatives funded by the effort.
Freeman, Pinckney and Sorensen agreed that today’s announcement goes far
beyond business as usual. “Academics in action benefits communities. The
transfer of knowledge from research being done at our hospitals and universities
to private business fuels the wellbeing of our communities,” said Freeman,
“The Health Sciences Collaborative is not just a first for South Carolina,
it’s the first of its kind in the nation. And it probably couldn’t
have happened in any other state.”
Pinckney concurred, saying, “The stars are aligned for great things. With
the Endowed Chairs Program, the Life Sciences Act, the research-related construction
at MUSC and USC, and today’s announcement, we have the momentum we need
to create a true statewide health sciences cluster that can result in world-class
research, breakthrough technology, and the creation of high-skilled, high paying
jobs.”
While certain details of the SCHSC have yet to be determined,
all of the parties see the day’s announcement as a starting point. “The
spirit of cooperation that has brought us to this point will become even more
important in the weeks ahead,” Sorensen said. “Today we’ve
sent a message to the people of South Carolina, to our elected officials, and
to future partners that we get it; we know what we have to do to make South
Carolina a leader in health sciences research, job creation, and the health
of our citizens.”
“This is a perfect example of the kind of long-term commitment we need
to see between the private and public sectors in order for South Carolina to
make progress in improving the quality of healthcare and outcomes, creating
jobs, and seeing average incomes rise,” Sorensen added.
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