SURGES IN JOBS AND R&D SPENDING PROPEL OKC TO BIOSCIENCE POWERHOUSE
The Greater Oklahoma City’s biosciences cluster has made significant progress over the last two decades to become one of the region’s growth sectors, employing about 31,000 people and spending $316 million annually on research and development. Those are just a few of the key findings in a recent study for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber by TEConomy Partner LLC, a global leader in research, analysis and strategy for innovation-driven economic development. Since 2001, the biosciences cluster, which includes nonclinical biosciences industries and academic medical and other hospitals, has grown 28%. They also point out that since 2015, the industry has grown by 10.3%, keeping pace with national metrics. The thousands of jobs created in the biosciences sector and the millions of dollars spent in R&D, rivals other emerging bioscience clusters across the country, including places such as Louisville, Ky.; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; and Salt Lake City. “The emergence of the region’s bioscience sector has been phenomenal, and we are to be included with other emerging hubs across the country,” said Chamber President and CEO Christy Gillenwater. “It is exciting to witness all of the investments and resources being directed toward the biosciences, which bodes well for our city’s long-term future and growth in this far- reaching and, for many people, life-changing industry.” One of the study’s many highlights is the growth of several subsectors in the region since 2015. Drug and pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs jumped 52%, fueled by a growing regional third-party manufacturing cluster. Medical device and equipment manufacturers have increased regional employment by 25% while the bioscience-related distribution sector has grown by 16% and now produces more than 1,500 jobs. The study stressed that industry and business leaders should take advantage of the current momentum in the regional biosciences industry to continue to
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