U.S. nurtures numerous biotechnology centers - East Bay Business Times:

East Bay Business Times - February 12, 2007
http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/02/12/story6.html

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U.S. nurtures numerous biotechnology centers
Bay Area ranks 6 among clusters in job creation
East Bay Business Times - February 9, 2007
by Michael Fitzhugh

A survey of the U.S. biotechnology sector reports the Bay Area is just one of several strong biotech centers nationwide.

Although such growth means more competition for California biotech companies, it also is a sign of opportunity, said Walt Plosila, vice president of the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice, the independent research group that conducted the study.

"The opportunity for California and its regions is as the pie grows bigger, you're going to find more and more collaborators who could support what you're doing there," he said.

The survey used 2004 employment figures to name the New York City metropolitan area as home to the most bioscience jobs, with more than 110,000 workers. The San Francisco metro, including Oakland and Fremont, ranked sixth, with 35,000 workers. The Los Angeles area ranked second, with 66,000.

Although California is home to four of the top 10 biotech employment centers, metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston edged out San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego when measured solely by the number of biotech workers.

However, Plosila said the Bay Area has a "very diversified" biosciences economy, setting it apart from many regions that excel in one of the four subsectors covered in the survey: drugs, research, medical devices, and agriculture-biotech.

The report highlighted Madison, Wis., and its early successes in licensing university-owned intellectual property; St. Louis, with its major expansions of Pfizer research and development; and Boulder, Colo., where Amgen Inc. is expanding its manufacturing operations.
Bioscience workers

Metro area, Bioscience workers
New York-N. New Jersey-Long Island, 110,596
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, 66,158
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, 53,036
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, 46,000
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, 42,323
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 35,083
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, 28,613
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 25,040
Indianapolis, 24,051
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, 23,912

Source: Battelle calculations based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW program data from the Minnesota IMPLAN Group

mfitzhugh@bizjournals.com | 925-598-1425


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