Hoosier Life Sciences Sector Highlighted for Growth
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana’s burgeoning life sciences sector is garnering national attention as it creates more jobs and expands manufacturing in cities throughout the state.
Biotechnology Industry Organization and TEConomy Partners’ biennial survey of the U.S. biosciences industry is recognizing seven Indiana communities that have “significant life sciences activity.”
As a state, Indiana is in BIO’s top 10 employment ranking in life sciences.
“We’re highlighted for having a significant size and employment concentration in agricultural chemicals, pharmaceutical and medical devices industries,” said Brian Stemme, senior vice president of BioCrossroads, the state’s life sciences initiative.
The report measures growth from 2016 to 2018 in the bioscience sector, including agricultural feedstock, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical laboratories, and affiliated research efforts.
“Two things jumped out at me,” said Stemme. “It’s the great business climate and it’s the talent base.”
Stemme said having multiple universities place heavy emphasis on science and technology degrees helps bolster the talent pool.
“We have thousands of STEM graduates coming from the schools every year, so it’s a steady supply to those companies that may not get in other areas. And it’s throughout the state, not just one university or one city.”
Bloomington, Evansville, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Michigan City, South Bend and Terre Haute are identified in the report as having significant life sciences activity.
“Whether it is in our major metro areas or smaller cities, important, innovative and life-saving work is driving the health of Hoosiers as well as the health of our state economy,” said Patty Martin, president and chief executive officer of BioCrossroads.
One city not specified is Warsaw, the self-proclaimed orthopedics capital of the world. It is home to Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. and Depuy Orthopedics, among others, that manufacture about one-third of all orthopedic devices in the U.S.
The city has a population of approximately 15,000
“It’s a quirk of the data that Warsaw falls into the category called a micropolitan area instead of a metropolitan area,” said Stemme. “So, they’re included in the states’ numbers, but they’re not specifically called out in as an MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area).”
According to BioCrossroads, the industry represents more than 2,100 companies and nearly 57,000 employees. With exports of more than $10 billion last year, Stemme said it illustrates the major impact the sector has on the Hoosier economy.
“We need to use that to get out and let people know, hey, we are a very strong state in this industry. And the industry is very important to the Indiana economy.”
Click here to view the full BIO report.
BioCrossroads Senior Vice President Brian Stemme tells Inside INdiana Business the key takeaways of the report.