Accelerate Colorado has accomplished the following successes in the past two years. A more detailed summary of Accelerate Colorado's successes may be downloaded in the Downloads section to your right.Aerospace and DefenseOrion Program Saved for Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Jefferson County, COPresident Obama changed course and announced plans in April to continue Orion as a scaled down, emergency escape vehicle for the crew at the international space station. The technology being developed for Orion will be used as the basis for a deep space exploration vehicle. GPS OCX Contract Funded and Awarded to Raytheon Company in Aurora, CORaytheon Company, Aurora’s largest private employer, was recently awarded an $886 million contract by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base to develop the ground control segment of the Global Positioning System to improve the accuracy of information from GPS satellites.New Facility to be Constructed at Buckley Air Force Base In the Budget submitted by the President on February 1, 2010, the Administration proposes funding for a military construction project on Buckley AFB with planning and design beginning in FY 2011 and full funding for construction in FY 2012. The project will provide permanent office space for the more than 500 Intelligence Community personnel currently housed in modular trailers on the base.$1 billion allocated for NASA in 2009Colorado will receive a positive impact due to the large presence of many space assets, such as the University of Colorado at Boulder, which receives more NASA funding than any other public university in the nation. BioscienceFederal Funding Approved for CID4The Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostics Development (CID4) received $300,000 in federal funding in FY 2010 to begin operations. CID4 is a private not-for-profit entity which provides management expertise and funding to efficiently transform emerging life science technologies into commercial successes. CID4 does this by identifying and actively managing promising life science technology investments. Pathway for Biosimilars Legislation PassedThe Pathway for Biosimilars Act was passed, which creates a reasonable pathway for federal approval of follow-on biologics (FOBs), while allowing for a 12-year period of data exclusivity with possible extensions of up to two and a half years.National Institutes of Health received an additional $10.4 billionThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) will receive an additional $10.4 billion over 2009 and 2010. For every $1 million invested in NIH, more than 30 jobs are created/sustained.EnergyNREL The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden is now slated to receive more than $110 million for research and development of wind, biofuels and campus infrastructure and to promote energy efficiency efforts. NREL plans to hire between 150 and 500 new jobs over the next few years. TransportationI-225 Widening and Colfax/17th Place Interchange$12.4 million for the first two phases of a new I-225 and Colfax Avenue/17th Place interchange that will serve the expanding Anschutz Medical Campus and Fitzsimons Life Science District in Aurora.I-70 and Central Park Boulevard Stapleton Background$12 million for the completion of the I-70 and Central Park Boulevard interchange essential for the redevelopment of Stapleton. Business operations at the Stapleton Redevelopment Area will result in a total economic and fiscal impact of over $37 billion impact to the metro region through build-out.Veterans AffairsVA Awarded demolition and site clearing contract for new VA medical center in AuroraIn September 2009, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the award of a $936,276 contract by the Department of Veterans Affairs to a Washington state company for demolition and site clearing of the new Veterans Affairs medical center in Aurora.