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Bioscience

Industry Overview

Colorado's bioscience industry encompasses biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and agricultural biotechnology.  Colorado companies are engaged in research, development and/or production in all of these areas.  Colorado's world-class university and private-sector research facilities, an educated and highly skilled labor force, a critical mass of existing firms and a strong statewide commitment to the industry provide an environment that is especially conducive to continued growth and excellence in bioscience.

Colorado's bioscience industry is poised to become one of the most exciting and advanced industry clusters in the country. The industry is thriving, comprised of biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, health care providers, research institutions and those businesses that provide critical services and products to bioscience companies. The spectrum of efforts span a collection of many different types of technologies that are employed to create health care applications and animal health applications; improve agricultural production and food supplies; develop industrial and environmental applications; and contribute to homeland defense and national security solutions.  Easy access to research universities and a good supply of highly qualified employees facilitate natural partnerships between academia and private enterprise, which is critical for scientific research and technology transfer.

The pipeline of new technologies and new companies coming out of Colorado's research institutions is strong, and the number of Colorado bioscience businesses and their employees are growing faster than the national average. This industry is on the brink of becoming one of the principal engines of Colorado's economy in the 21st century. 

  
Entrepreneurial Expertise
Entrepreneurship development is a key element in the on-going efforts by Colorado state and regional government efforts to retain and grow
local biosciences companies.

Entrepreneurial capacity and behavior are prime drivers of economic growth and job creation and see the economic potential of new technologies and apply them to business concept innovation.
Research and Technology Transfer
All Colorado academic institutions are driving research and technology transfer. The following graph and table are illustrative of tech transfer occurring at universities across the
state of Colorado.

Fast Facts

Number of Bioscience Companies 380
Total Estimated Bioscience Employment 16,000
Indirectly Supported Jobs  20,204
Average Salary  $63,000
Total Taxes Generated   $416 million

Colorado bioscience companies include:

Allos Therapeutics

Allosource

Amgen 

Atrix Laboratories 

Baxa Corporation

Cobe Cardiovascular

Dharmacon Research

FeRx

Gambro BCT 

GeneThera

GlobeImmune

Medtronic

Myogen

OSI Pharmaceuticals

Pharmion

Replidyne

Roche

Sandoz

Sirna Therapeutics

SomaLogic

Thermo Biostar

Valleylab

 

 






 

 


Major research institutions include:

  • University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
  • American Medical Center
  • Colorado State University
  • National Jewish and Medical Research Center
  • Colorado Institute for Research in Biotechnology
  • Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
  • Laboratories at Bonfils
  • Children's Hospital

-  A $6 million grant to the University of Colorado Medical School from the Charles C. and June S. Gates Family Fund, longtime Colorado philanthropists, will fund the creation of a stem cell research center headed by Dennis Roop, a noted stem cell researcher who will bring with him five National Institutes of Health grants totaling $3.8 million.


Did You Know?

Fort Collins, CO, is home to the only Centers for Disease Control facility outside of Atlanta.


Fitzsimons Redevelopment

Accelerating Colorado's biotechnology position is the $4.3 billion redevelopment of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center into one square mile dedicated to life science research, education and patient care.  It is the first of its kind west of the Mississippi, and by far the largest single, integrated redevelopment dedicated to bioscience.  The new 217-acre campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the 160-acre Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora anchor the project.

The 160-acre bioscience park has been master-planned for up to 4 million square feet and an on-site work force of 16,000. The park can accommodate research-oriented biomedical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical operations in multi-tenant buildings as well as in single-tenant, build-to-suit buildings.  The park's affiliation with the University of Colorado allows tenant companies easy access to the resources of the largest academic medical center in the Rocky Mountain Region.

  • Since 2000, almost 2.5 million square feet of facilities have been constructed, representing an investment of over $685 million.  Among the largest completed projects are a 483,000 square foot University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion and a 126,875 square foot University Physicians building.

  • Projects currently under development and slated to be completed by mid-2008 total 3.2 million square feet and $637 million of investment, including the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes and the new 1.2 million square foot Children's Hospital scheduled to be completed in October 2007.

  • For more information, see www.colobio.com.

Financial Resources

Colorado has ample access to financial resources to fund research and development.

  • Colorado has five venture firms currently investing primarily or exclusively in bioscience companies: Morgenthaler Ventures, Sequel Venture Partners, Tango, Boulder Ventures, and Aweida Capital Management.

  • Colorado offers several public/private sources of business funding including the Certified Capital Companies ( www.state.co.us/oed/finance/capco.cfm), the Colorado Venture Capital Authority ( www.state.co.us/oed/finance/VCA.shtml), and CTEK Angels and Venture Fund ( www.ctek.biz).

  • Metro Denver offers an incubator that serves bioscience firms at the Fitzsimons Bioscience Park (www.colobio.com).

  • UCDHSC ranks 20th in total National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding out of 125    academic medical schools and second in pediatric NIH funding. (National Institutes of Health, 2004)

Colorado Bioscience Association

The Colorado Bioscience Association (CBSA) facilitates the growth of the industry in Colorado through advocacy, representation and service. CBSA supports the economic development of Colorado through the creation of a premier bioscience cluster within the state.

CBSA also works closely with bioscience research institutions and member companies to enhance the Colorado bioscience business community through creation and support of new biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies and development of established companies by catalyzing technology transfer and sponsored research in partnership with Colorado research institutions.

For more information, see: http://www.cobioscience.com/bioscienceincolorado.php



Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program

The Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program was created by the Colorado legislature in 2006. The program's purpose is to improve and expand the evaluation of new bioscience discoveries at research institutions with the intent of accelerating the development of new products and services - essentially a proof of concept program. The legislature made available $2,000,000 for this Program in 2006. Only Offices of Technology Transfer at research institutions are eligible to apply.


Fact Sheet - Bioscience