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Rhode Island currently enjoys success in the biotechnology and life science industry. The Ocean State features a highly educated and talented workforce, close proximity to the Boston, Massachusetts biotech hub, and promising developments within the state to ensure Rhode Island’s future in the sector. Rhode Island prides itself on being a center for vaccine development, replacement organs, cell-based drug transfer, and tissue engineering. State leaders have passed the Biotechnology Growth Act of 2006 to aid the industry, and voters approved a $50 million referendum towards completion of the University of Rhode Island Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences.

Rhode Island hosts several renowned bioscience companies. These include Alexion Pharmaceuticals in Smithfield; Amgen in West Greenwich; BCR Corporation Middletown; Clinical Data, Inc. in Smithfield; Collegium Pharmaceutical in Cumberland; Denison Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Pawtucket; Dominion Diagnostics in North Kingstown; EpiVax, Inc. in Providence; G&G Technologies, Inc. in North Kingstown; MultiCell Technologies, Inc. in Lincoln; Neurotech USA, Inc. in Lincoln; Rhodes Technologies in Coventry; and Verichem Laboratories, Inc. in Providence, among others.

Impressive academic institutions conduct groundbreaking life science research in the Ocean State, and provide technical training opportunities for careers in the industry. Brown University in Providence attracted $144 million in research funding from government and private sources in fiscal year 2005-06. Notable research centers and institutes at Brown include the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research and the International Health Institute. Some of Brown’s important laboratory and research facilities include the Rhode Island NSF/EPSCoR Proteomics Facility, the Brown TB/HIV Research Laboratory, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine, and the Laboratory for Emerging Technologies. Additionally, Brown University offers Brown Technology Partnerships, which aids in commercialization of intellectual property created by faculty and students. The University of Rhode Island (URI) in Kingston offers biotechnology programs and features such research centers as the University of Rhode Island College of the Environment & Life Sciences (CELS) and the URI Genomics and Sequencing Center, in addition to the Marine Life Research Facilities at the Narragansett Bay Campus of the University of Rhode Island. URI also offers the Division of Industrial Research and Technology Transfer, which attracts research funding from the private sector, promotes and stimulates the transfer of technology developed by URI faculty to private industry, and assists faculty in seeking commercial development of products and processes from University research. At the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, students have the opportunity to pursue a Biotechnology Certificate Program to prepare for entry-level positions in the biomanufacturing industry.

The biotechnology and life science industry of Rhode Island benefits from organizations designed to foster growth in the sector. EPSCoR Rhode Island works to build partnerships between state and government, institutions of higher education and industry to effect lasting improvements in research infrastructure and national research and development competitiveness; RI EPSCoR aims to strengthen the state’s basic science and engineering research capacity, to help in converting ideas into jobs through technology commercialization, and to enhance training and education for students to meet Rhode Island’s workforce needs. The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation aims to strengthen the state’s economy through policies, programs, and projects which enhance and enrich the business environment for both public and private sectors, and works to develop and facilitate partnerships with public, private, governmental, and non-profit entities. The Slater Technology Fund is financed annually by Rhode Island’s General Assembly, and was launched to foster new technology-based companies in the state, particularly within the industry sectors of life sciences and information technology. Slater offers up to $3 million in seed funding each year for local ventures in these sectors, which serves to enable companies’ success in making the transition from laboratory research to commercialization. Tech Collective is a non-profit organization including the industry associations BioGroup and InfoGroup; its mission is to drive technology growth and innovation in Rhode Island via networking in business communities, providing workforce development resources, and offering entrepreneurial support to companies, agencies, organizations, individuals, and students. The Medical Marketing Association (MMA) is a non-profit organization consisting of marketing professionals from pharmaceutical, device, and diagnostic industries; MMA conducts conferences and educational programs for its members as well as networking events around the country.

With so many excellent resources at its disposal, Rhode Island seems assured tremendous success in the biotechnology and life science industry.

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