Bio is big business in OKC

Did you know biotech is one of OKC’s – and Oklahoma’s – biggest industries and employment drivers? With more than $2.2 billion in compensation, supporting 51,000 employees and annual revenues of more than $6.7 billion, biotech is truly big business here in Oklahoma City. That’s one reason why scientists, business leaders, educators and economic development officers from across the state will take the best of Oklahoma bioscience to Boston in order to garner interest in one of Oklahoma’s fastest-growing economic powerhouse at the 2018 BIO International Convention, June 4-8. The delegation will promote the accomplishments of the Oklahoma bioscience sector and meet with potential business partners.

Companies and entities that comprise our city’s biotech sector run the gamut from pharmaceutical-related companies to research organizations and everything in between. Interested in working in this space? Good news, because opportunities abound and employment growth (23 percent since 2003) is expected to continue. Get more info at www.greateroklahomacity.com/industries/biotech/, and watch local media for stories on the Oklahoma BioScience Association and Oklahoma’s presence at the BIO International Convention this week.

The delegation’s efforts will be marketed under the banner of the Oklahoma Bioscience Association (OKBio), where they will help staff a 1,200-square-foot Oklahoma Bioscience Pavilion complete with touch-screen monitors showcasing Oklahoma’s bioscience companies. The delegation will answer questions from prospective targets that might be interested in doing business in Oklahoma. Attendees will also attend networking events and set partnering meetings with business contacts who may be interested in their specific endeavors.

Want to know more? Consider this; Oklahoma is fertile ground for bioscience growth, talent and premier facilities:

• The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) has funded 2,700 projects at more than $285 million, attracting $6.5 billion in private sector and federal dollars for a return on investment of 22:1.
• The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is dedicated to both basic and translational research, with patient-centered care and research ongoing at the Stephenson Cancer Center, the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center and the Dean McGee Eye Institute.
• The University Research Park is part of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The complex consists of more than 700,000 square feet of modern biomedical research lab and office space supported by state-of-the-art communications and infrastructure systems.
• The Noble Research Institute is the largest private foundation in the country conducting plant science and agriculture research.
• Oklahoma State University is a leader in agriculture and animal science research.
• In the past year, i2E, Inc. invested over $4.8 million in 10 Oklahoma bioscience or life science companies and $28 million over the past 20 years.

And you thought cutting-edge tech stuff only happens on the west coast!