"It's all about collaboration," said Col. Todd Rasmussen during his opening remarks at the 2015 THRiVE bioscience conference on April 23 in Chantilly, Virginia. "Once we establish the partnerships we're looking for, then it's our job to help coordinate with the military labs."

For Rasmussen, the director of the USAMRMC's Combat Casualty Care Research Program, the featured appearance was part of a larger government-wide push to engage with private industry for the purpose of improving federal research efforts. Organized by the Virginia Biotechnology Organization, the THRiVE conference is an annual event designed to promote the state's life science industry as a whole, as well as to provide a forum for economic support.

"Virginia is an important partner for us," said Rasmussen. "We actually have four or five different clinical trials going on here right now."

Rasmussen's presentation, part of a larger session on bioscience commercialization, featured specific advice for private industry leaders on how to interact and collaborate with the DOD. Recommendations included responding to program announcements, increasing involvement in congressional special interest programs, and, lastly, cooperating with military labs.

"We can't do it alone," said Stephanie Fertig, director of Small Business Programs at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, while delivering a presentation reiterating the government's need for private industry research assistance.

Overall, the 2015 THRiVE conference featured more than 350 bioscience leaders from across the state - including representatives from a half dozen state universities - as well as an appearance by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.