Target Industry Development

Biosciences

Bioscience is good business. That’s why the Portland Development Commission and the Regional Economic Development Partners support the growth of the Biosciences Industry in the Portland region with:

• Location & Site Selection
• Incentives
• Financial Services
• Recruitment, Retention & Expansion
• Development Assistance
• Regional Partnerships
• Workforce Connections
• Industry Cluster Support

Adopted by the PDC as a key component of its economic development strategy, the Bioscience Industry encompasses companies that offer products or services that are based on the commercialization of knowledge derived from the life sciences. The scope of the industry includes research and development, manufacturing and sales of medical instruments and devices, medical diagnostics, human and animal therapeutics, pharmaceutical intermediates and processes, food and agricultural products, reagents and services based on biotechnology, and computer systems and software for managing healthcare.

Biotechnology firms in the Portland region and the state of Oregon have access to world-class research centers and educational facilities, along with a highly educated workforce.

Significant initiatives

• Development of the North Macadam/South Waterfront District at the foot of Marquam Hill on the Willamette River. The current plan includes academic, commercial and mixed-use development, possibly to include incubator facilities or wet laboratory space for lifescience companies. It will be linked to downtown Portland by streetcar and a riverfront greenway, and to Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) by aerial tram. The district is expected to include 3,000 housing units and space for 10,000 jobs, making space available for biosciences industry growth.
• The Oregon Opportunity represents a public/private partnership investment in biomedical research at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). Through both legislation and a ballot measure, public funding of $200 million dollars is being matched by up to $300 million dollars of private funding to expand facilities, research staff and programs both at OHSU campuses and at other sites in Oregon. The expansion of biomedical research, as well as the combined expertise of OHSU and the Oregon Graduate Institute, with which OHSU recently merged, provides an enlarged research base that may serve to form additional Oregon bioscience companies sometime in the future.
• The Oregon Council on Knowledge and Economic Development (OCKED) was formed by the Legislature and established in 2001 with members appointed by then-Governor John Kitzhaber. The OCKED mission is to coordinate efforts to stimulate economic development in Oregon by working with leaders in higher education, economic development and private industry.

Partners and Associations

• Oregon Bioscience Association
• Oregon Health Science University (OHSU)

A snapshot of the industry

• More than two-thirds of Oregon’s biotech companies and employees are located in the Portland metropolitan area.
• Oregon is home to 185 biosciences companies; ten are publicly traded
• Total revenues of 41 Oregon companies in 2001 were $356 million. This represents an increase of 15% from 1998’s total of $310 million.
• The Medical Device sector appears poised for future growth. It is positioned to benefit from interactions with other strong Oregon industries in electronics, specialty metals fabrication and healthcare information technology.

PDC Business Team Contact

Colin Sears at 503-823-3320, or by e-mail

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