Conrad Erb
The Biotechnology Heritage Award honors extraordinary individuals whose work in biotechnology—whether it be through discovery, innovation, commercialization, or public understanding—is helping to heal, fuel, and feed the world.
First bestowed in 1999, the award is given yearly during the BIO International Convention. The Science History Institute is proud to present this award alongside the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), which represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations.
The 2021 Biotechnology Heritage Award was presented to Frederick Frank, founder and chairman of EVOLUTION Life Science Partners, on June 17 during the BIO Digital conference. Our 2020 honoree, Ivor Royston, president and CEO of Viracta Therapeutics, Inc., will receive his award at the 2022 BIO International Convention in San Diego.
2021 Awardee: Frederick Frank
Frederick Frank
Frederick Frank
Frederick Frank began his investment banking career at Smith, Barney and Company in 1958, where he attained the positions of co-head of research, vice president, and director. In 1969 he joined Lehman Brothers as a partner and eventually became vice chair. At Lehman Brothers, Frank provided investment banking services to numerous companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, health care services, medical device, and nutraceutical industries, and was involved in hundreds of financings, strategic alliances, and merger and acquisition transactions in the global health care industry. Frank was also vice chair at both Barclays Capital and Peter J. Solomon Company. Before joining EVOLUTION Life Science Partners, Frank was chair of Burrill Securities and vice chair of Burrill and Company.
Frank’s clients included Marion Laboratories, where he led the company’s initial public offering and its acquisition of the pharmaceutical division of Dow Chemical, creating Marion Merrill Dow. Later, with Mary Tanner, Frank represented Marion Merrill Dow in its merger with Hoechst to form Hoechst Marion Roussel.
Frank is a senior adviser to PureTech Ventures, a director at Landec Corporation and former director and current adviser to the board of PDL BioPharma, a director emeritus at the Institute for Systems Biology, a member of the board of the former Life Sciences Foundation, and a past director of the Salk Institute. He has served on advisory boards at Harvard, Yale, and Johns Hopkins Universities and at MIT. He is also a member of the Science History Institute’s Board of Overseers.
Over the years Frank has received several awards, including from the Irvington Institute for Immunological Research, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the American Liver Foundation. He was selected as one of the Top 100 Living Contributors to Biotechnology by Reed Elsevier.
Frank received an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from Yale University. He is also a chartered financial analyst.
Previous Winners of the Biotechnology Heritage Award
- Ivor Royston (2020)*
- Janet Woodcock (2019)
- William Rastetter (2018)
- John C. Martin (2017)
- Stanley Cohen (2016)
- Moshe Alafi and William Bowes (2015)
- Robert Langer (2014)
- George Rosenkranz (2013)
- Nancy Chang (2012)
- Joshua Boger (2011)
- Art Levinson (2010)
- Robert Fraley (2009)
- Henri Termeer (2008)
- Ronald E. Cape (2007)
- Alejandro Zaffaroni (2006)
- Paul Berg (2005)
- Leroy Hood (2004)
- William Rutter (2003)
- Walter Gilbert and Phillip A. Sharp (2002)
- Francis Collins and J. Craig Venter (2001)
- Herbert Boyer and Robert Swanson (2000)
- George B. Rathmann (1999)
*The 2020 award will be presented to Ivor Royston at the 2022 BIO International Convention.
About the Sponsors
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial, and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.