Virginia Biotechnology Association

Together, We're Working Wonders in Virginia

Bioscience in Virginia

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO) is the statewide non-profit
organization that promotes the scientific and economic impact of the life sciences
industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. More than 175 biotechnology, equipment,
pharmaceutical and medical device companies are based in Virginia, mainly clustered
around universities in Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Norfolk and Northern
Virginia. Of these companies, approximately 82 are biotechnology firms, 29 medical
device companies, 28 contract research and support organizations, and 31 businesses
that produce sophisticated equipment supporting the bioscience industry. In addition,
Virginia is home to 6 bio-remediation firms.

The greatest concentration of companies, approximately 34%, is located in Northern
Virginia. The greater Richmond region is second with 30%, the Charlottesville area with
15%, Western Virginia with 14% and the balance located in Hampton Roads.
Based upon surveys conducted of Virginia’s biotech companies, more than half, 52%,
are focused on therapeutic products and 14% on diagnostics. The focus of the remaining
companies is divided among areas of concentration such as biodefense, bioinformatics
and agricultural biosciences.

According to a recent study by Archstone LLC, the bioscience industry has a profound impact on the state’s economy:

  • According to a study in 2006, the bioscience industry supported nearly 80,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Commonwealth.
  • The value of the industry’s products and services was approximately $12.6 billion in 2006.
  • The biopharmaceutical industry grew by 8.1% between 1996 and 2006.
  • The industry paid employees about $1.8 billion in wages in 2006, resulting in $81.6 million in state taxes and $433.3 million in federal taxes.
  • Biopharmaceutical employees paid, on average, $4,091 in state taxes, compared to the much more modest $1,501 paid by the average worker.
  • In 2008, Virginia’s biomedical researchers conducted nearly 1,900 clinical tests of new medicines, including 678 trials for cancer drugs, 102 tests for heart disease medicines, 232 rare disease treatment trials and 80 tests for HIV/AIDS drugs.

Virginia bioscience firms are responsible for more than fifty drugs either already on the market or currently undergoing clinical trials.

Click here for a map of bioscience organizations in Virginia.

Click here for a brochure about Virginia’s bioscience industry.

Research Partnerships and Technology Transfer Opportunities in Virginia
The Commonwealth is home to many internationally recognized research and development (R&D) facilities. Federally funded R&D facilities, coupled with the research from Virginia universities, provide Virginia businesses access to leading researchers and cutting-edge technology. From the biotech industry to medical devices to the next generation of alternative energy technologies, these research facilities have something to offer your business.

With more than 500,000 students enrolled in over 90 in-state institutions of higher education, Virginia is the ideal location for individuals seeking to excel and further their education. Virginia has several colleges and universities that have achieved national acclaim and have areas of studies lending great value to companies across the state. Additionally, the Virginia Community College System, comprised of 23 community colleges, located on 40 campuses around the state, provides occupational and technical training programs, many of which are designed specifically to meet the needs of nearby industries. In the 2007-08 academic year, community colleges in the Commonwealth awarded about 17,000 degrees, diplomas and certificates.

Virginia’s institutions of higher education offer exceptional diversity, ranging from public universities to small private liberal arts colleges.

* 15 public comprehensive institutions – 8 of which are doctoral institutions

* More than 50 private accredited four-year institutions

* 23 public community colleges and one public two-year college

* Vocational institutions and technical and workforce development centers

* More than 40 out-of-state institutions of higher education offering courses, and in some cases complete degree programs, at sites across Virginia

Click on the following links to see intellectual property that is currently available for licensing from Virginia’s research institutions.

Virginia Commonwealth University:
http://www.research.vcu.edu/ott/licensable_technologies/flash/ott_summaries.htm

Virginia Tech:
http://www.vtip.org/availableTech/

University of Virginia:
http://www.uvapf.org/technologies

George Mason University:
http://mason.techtransfer.info/search/label/Biotechnology

College of William and Mary:
http://www.wm.edu/offices/techtransfer/?svr=web

Old Dominion University:
http://www.odu.edu/ao/research/ip/technologiesforlicensing.shtml

James Madison University:
http://www.jmu.edu/innovation/technologies.shtml

Eastern Virginia Medical School
http://www.evms.edu/office-of-technology-transfer/all-technologies-available-for-licensing.html

Virginia is also home to one of the most advanced bioscience research institutes in the
world. The Janelia Farm Research Campus (JFRC) of the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute (HHMI) opened in October 2006. Located on a 689-acre property in Northern
Virginia, the unique, world-class biomedical research complex represents a $500 million
investment by HHMI, one of the largest philanthropies in the world. The campus
includes 760,000 square feet of laboratory space, in addition to facilities to support
collaborations with scientists from around the world. Recruitment of the interdisciplinary
scientific staff is well underway. When fully operational in 2009, JFRC will house 300
scientists. JFRC will emphasize collaborative, technology-driven research in two broad
areas: understanding how neuronal circuits process information, and developing new
imaging technologies and computational methods for image analysis.

Support for the Biosciences in Virginia

Virginia is home to many bioscience research parks and incubators dedicated to helping emerging life science companies get off the ground.

  • The Virginia Bioscience Development Center is a 27,000-square-foot incubator      located in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in Richmond. The center      provides business assistance and office and wet lab space for seed and early-stage bioscience companies. The center is currently serving 22 client companies.
  • The Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, located on a 34-acre site in downtown Richmond, adjacent to the VCU Medical Center continues to expand with construction of a new multi-tenant facility completed in 2007. The Park is home to more than 50 national and international bioscience companies; research institutes affiliated with the VCU medical Center; major state and national medical, forensic, and public health laboratories; and organizations involved with management of the nation’s organ transplantation process. After completion of the new 450,000-square-foot Philip Morris Center for Research and Technology in 2007, the Park is two-thirds developed. Ultimately, the Park is projected to contain more than 1.5 million square feet of space and will be an employment center of more than 3,000 life science professionals.
  • INNOVATION@Prince William Technology Park is a 1,600-acre technology park     owned by both public and private developers in Prince William County. Biotechnology is a key component of INNOVATION, which is planned and zoned for immediate bioscience laboratory, production, testing, and development facilities. In addition to major pharmaceutical and bioscience firms, the Park will also accommodate the recently announced Virginia Department of Forensic Science Northern Virginia laboratory; GMU’s Regional Biocontainment Laboratory; and the Alexandria Technology Center, which, when fully developed, could contain up to 400,000 square feet in specialized biotechnology space.
  • The University of Virginia’s Fontaine Research Park is a 54-acre research park which, when completely developed, will include nearly 400,000 square feet. The Advanced Research and Technology Building, the last building to be built in the park, is currently in the final planning stages.
  • The University of Virginia Research Park at North Fork is a 562-acre, mixed-use park that will, when completed, include facilities for laboratory research, medical, and pharmaceutical companies as well as residential, retail, and other uses. The Emerging Technology Center, a 40,000-square-foot, multi-tenant building, provides both wet- and dry-lab space.
  • The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC), located on 120 acres adjacent to the Virginia Tech campus, contains 16 single- and multi-tenant buildings.
  • Riverstone Technology Park in Halifax County is a 165-acre technology park owned and managed by the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority that is targeting biomanufacturing. A $12 million, 67,000-square-foot, multi-tenant building has been constructed to attract biotechnology, R&D, and technical training.
  • The Riverside Center for Research and Technology in Roanoke is a 110.5-acre, city-developed research park situated just south of Roanoke’s central business district. The Carilion Biomedical Institute (CBI), the first tenant of Riverside Center, is currently constructing an $8 million office and laboratory complex. CBI, founded with a $20 million grant from Carilion Health System and headquartered in Roanoke, is a partnership between the Health System, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia. Its mission is to foster collaborative research among the partners and enhance regional economic infrastructure through investing in very early-stage companies with disruptive technologies.

Workforce Development

Virginia offers one of the most educated labor forces in the nation. With 90 colleges and
universities and 23 community colleges, Virginia has the 11th largest higher education
system in the U.S. Over 19,000 doctoral scientists and engineers are employed by
Virginia companies, more than any other southeastern state and the eighth largest
concentration in the U.S. Each year, nearly 3,000 bioscience-related degrees are
awarded by Virginia colleges and universities.

The Virginia Biotechnology Association is one of the key founders behind the “Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills” (VCATS), an initiative designed to expand the pool of qualified advanced technology technicians and laboratory workers. Please click here for details.

Forbes.com Names Virginia #1 “Best State for Business”

Virginia placed first among the 50 states in a new ranking of the “Best States for
Business” by Forbes.com, the official Internet site of the Forbes family of business
publications. The review included consideration of multiple
objective measurements, including business cost, regulatory climate, quality of the
workforce, and economic growth.

“To compile our listing of the best states for business, we ranked all 50 states on 30
metrics in six main categories: business costs, economic climate, growth prospects,
labor, quality of life and regulatory environment. The data produced a clear No. 1. The
Commonwealth of Virginia takes the crown in our first ever ranking of Top States for
Business,” Forbes reports. Texas was ranked second, followed by North Carolina, Utah,
and Colorado. Idaho, Nebraska, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia rounded out the Forbes’
top ten.

Bioscience companies that locate research and development and manufacturing
operations in Virginia come to find a low-cost business climate that provides efficiency in
laws, regulations, tax structure and policies, enabling them to save time and money.
Wage and payroll costs are significantly below the U.S. average.

Discoveries in biotechnology can significantly enhance our quality of life in many areas,
from the food we eat, to the medicines we use, to the environment in which we live. This
important research enables Virginians to develop new medicines and foods to improve
the lives of our fellow citizens here in the Commonwealth and around the globe.