State Government Relations

Bioscience economic development in a nation as large and diverse as the United States is as varied as the country itself.  A complex array of factors influence the allocation of resources and the nature of bioscience industry development.

State governments in 2011 continued to see regional economic growth in the life sciences industry and in 2012 will increasingly focus attention on technology transfer and venture funding as mechanisms to increase private sector innovation related activities within their jurisdictions. Realizing that entrepreneurship is a key ingredient in economic development, states and localities are undertaking the support of programs that assist high technology businesses, and that capitalize on state regional presence of universities and federal laboratories.

BIO President & CEO Jim Greenwood and Tom Watkins, President & CEO of Human Genome Sciences and Chair of BIO’s Board of Directors, recently hosted a media briefing to recap our advocacy accomplishments in 2011 and lay out BIO’s policy priorities for 2012.

New Orleans shows the signs of a city reborn from the destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina.  The changes in the city’s infrastructure and building projects have certainly been among them.  The city reached a  milestone its renaissance when the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) opened for business.

In this global economy, nearly every competitor has access to big breakthroughs in technology and to the equipment and capital to produce standardized products, but those regions that possess the human capital, with its insights, competencies, and experience will have the competitive advantage.