State & Local Issues

The 2012 BIO International Convention featured a broad array of top-level speakers, addressing critical global challenges and the top issues in biotechnology. Hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the event drew 16,505 industry leaders from 65 countries.

At a time when the global economy struggles to recover from a severe recession and uncertainty remains regarding future economic growth, bioscience industry development is generating significant attention both globally and at home.

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.

Jobs and salaries in this industry have substantially grown in the past ten years. To date, there are more than 47,000 bioscience companies and 1.4 million workers in the United States.

Pete Pellerito discusses what is being done to provide the workforce for this broad and growing industry.

BIOtechNOW’s Tracy Cooley talks to Dr. Schubert of the  Bioscience Association of West Virginia about biotech in West Virginia – major areas of growth, the outlook for growth of the industry within the states, and plans for the upcoming  BIO International Convention.