Biotech Breeding Grounds

Investment capital and proximity to talent are key ingredients to raise a herd of world-class biotechs. In the race for the next biotech hub, developed countries don't always have all the advantages. The biotech start-up is a highly prized commodity. Economic development organizations, trade groups, and governments around the world are trying to create environments favorable to their emergence. In the United States, nearly every state in the union is trying to cash in on the industry's success by starting the long process of growing a biotech cluster, whereas established hubs seek new avenues for growth. European countries continue down the slow path of development, partly stymied by economic fragmentation. The Asia and Pacific nations, for their part, are striving to attain critical mass. Any biotech cluster has to have three things for success: high-quality science, a skilled workforce, and access to capital. The science typically comes from top research universities and institutions; the talent from pharmaceutical companies and entrepreneurial scientists; and capital from the surrounding business community. Economic development boards (EDBs) try to crystallize these ingredients by facilitating networking, advising would-be entrepreneurs, and lobbying for more favorable policy. Biotech in the U.S. An active government helps too. The two major US biotech hubs, in San Francisco and the Cambridge-Boston area, are the only ones to have grown "naturally," says Beh Swan Gin, director of biomedical sciences ... "Source":[ http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/GenomicsProteomics/2005/11/01/1098007?ba=m&bi=5&bp=13].

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