DENVER - The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority has entered into an agreement with the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office and the Innovation Center of the Rockies in Boulder to help commercialize Colorado biotech research and present the best technologies to investment professionals from around the world.

Working within its statewide network of approximately 200 bioscience advisers, the innovation center will develop a pilot program with CU's tech transfer office to identify research and associated faculty teams with near-term commercial potential.

The teams and technologies will be matched with innovation center advisers who have the commercialization expertise and the ability to present the most promising projects to the appropriate investors.

The program will be facilitated through resources at the Fitzsimons Life Science Campus in Aurora. The campus is made up of the Anschutz Medical Campus and the Fitzsimons Life Science District.

"There is roughly a half-billion health sciences research dollars pouring into Colorado every year, and the discoveries and inventions coming out of our institutions are worthy of global investment attention," said Steve VanNurden, president and chief executive of the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority. "We've chosen to develop this strategy with ICR and the University of Colorado, and ultimately to leverage ICR's statewide university research and tech transfer relationships to support the new drugs, devices and health-care information technologies coming out of Colorado."

VanNurden recently moved to Colorado from Minnesota after running Mayo Clinic Ventures, where he was responsible for more than 45 business startups.

Tom Smerdon, interim associate vice president for technology transfer for the University of Colorado System, said the collaboration will help showcase promising CU medical technologies to a wider audience of potential investors. "We look forward to working with FRA and ICR in this effort to advance the commercialization of those technologies."