Biosciences

Looking to relocate, expand, or start a bioscience enterprise? Then it’s time to take a look at Maryland. We’re confident that the closer you look, the more you’ll like what Maryland has to offer.

More than 370 bioscience companies—one of the fastest growing clusters in the U.S.
Ranks second per capita in federal R&D obligations—$12.2 billion
State investment of over $450 million in bioscience infrastructure
Access to partners, major research universities, and federal institutions, most within an hour of each other
First ranked among U.S. states in the percentage of professional and technical workers (25.7%) in the workforce
Ranked second among the states in concentration of doctoral scientists and engineers

Global Reach, Local Access

What’s the strategic advantage of a Maryland location? In a word, ACCESS . To your customers. To competitors. To potential partners. And to the rest of the world.

Located halfway between Boston and Atlanta, London and Los Angeles—and with 90 percent of the state’s bioscience assets less than an hour away from each other—Maryland is where the bioscience industry comes together to develop and market new products and technologies.

What better way to ensure access to every corner of the U.S. and world markets than to situate your new or expanding business at the epicenter of the global bioscience community?

Strength and Numbers

Maryland boasts one of the fastest growing bioscience clusters in the United States, and the state continues to attract established industry leaders and entrepreneurs to the area. With all the significant regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just a short drive away, Maryland businesses can save both time and money—especially in the areas of new drug and device applications and clinical trial reviews.

Home to eight percent of the U.S. bioscience market
More than 370 bioscience companies conducting biopharmaceutical discovery, developing new devices, diagnostics and research tools, and breaking new ground in bioinformatics
Home to 17 publicly traded companies, along with more than 20 companies conducting clinical trials for new biotherapeutics

Some of Maryland's leaders and innovators in bioscience include:

Biotherapeutics and Diagnostics — MedImmune , Human Genome Sciences, Celera, GenVec, Martek, Otsuka, BD Diagnostics, Digene, Invitrogen and Qiagen
Agricultural Biotechnology — Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Center for Biosystems Research and Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology II
Pharmaceutical & Biomanufacturing/Bioprocessing — Lonza , Chesapeake Biological Laboratories, Shire U.S. Manufacturing, and Pharmaceutics International
Contract Research Services — Accelonvance, Battelle, Fischer Bioservices, Lonza, SAIC, SNBL, and Westat.

An Exceptional Workforce

With greater than 34,000 private sector bioscience employees, and a comparable number in university and federal research institutions, Maryland’s workforce quality and availability are the direct result of two decades of funding initiatives aimed at educating our workforce for a 21^st century high-tech economy:

First ranked among U.S. states (25.7%) in percentage of professional and technical workers in the workforce
Ranked second in concentration of doctoral scientists and engineers, including first in Health Sciences and second in Bio and Agricultural Sciences
Second ranked among the states in percentage of population 25 or older who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (35.1%)

An Atmosphere of Creative Innovation

Home to more than 50 life science research-intensive federal institutions, several world-class academic institutions, an ever-expanding number of private research facilities—and recipient of $12.2 billion in federal R&D obligations—Maryland’s bioscience economy is driven by, and rooted in, an atmosphere of creative innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Recognizing that basic research is the cornerstone of technical innovation, Maryland has invested over $450 million in bioscience infrastructure, including $100 million in 2004 alone. The result is a unique atmosphere in which energy and resources help push ideas forward, with more momentum and a higher degree of participation across public and private sectors than is present in other areas.

Maryland’s leading R&D facilities in bioscience include federal powerhouses such as:

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (USDA-BARC)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
J. Craig Venter Institute (JCV)

And Maryland institutions such as:

The Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
Center for Environmental Energy at the University of Maryland (CEEE)
University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI), including its Institute for Human Virology (IHV), Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB), Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB), Medical Biotechnology Center (MBC), and the Center for Biosystems Research (CBR)

A Business-Friendly Environment

According to Entrepreneur magazine, the State of Maryland — through the Maryland Venture Fund and the Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) — was the most active early-stage investor in the U.S. in 2006. Years of close coordination between the public and private sectors have helped Maryland formulate and execute a strategic plan to support the formation, expansion and growth of bioscience businesses—and to encourage entrepreneurship and excellence across the industry.

Maryland’s investment in bioscience has helped with projects such as the ongoing renovation of the University of Maryland’s Bioprocessing Scale-up Facility (BSF) and the expansion of the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology .
Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) enables assistance programs aimed and supporting the transfer and commercialization of technology developed in university and federal labs.
Maryland Venture Fund , financed and operated by DBED, makes direct equity investments in emerging technology and life sciences companies.

Maryland companies also benefit from the state’s commitment to incubators, partnerships and alliances aimed at helping businesses thrive. Key bioscience partners include:

MdBio, Inc.
Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO)

Contact the MD BizTeam at 410-767-6870 to learn more about opportunities for bioscience companies to locate or expand in Maryland.