MANCHESTER, NH – The emerging biofabrication industry is an opportunity for the state to become a global leader, Department of Business and Economic Commissioner Taylor Caswell said Thursday at a gathering of real estate and business leaders.
“From logistics to workforce, there is a statewide opportunity here to make New Hampshire a global leader in biomanufacturing,” Caswell said at the New England Real Estate Journal Summit “ReGen Valley: Pioneering Innovation Biomanufacturing Technology. “With the right investment of energy and resources, we can ensure this effort is successful. This will change the landscape of our state’s economy.”
Caswell was one of several speakers at the morning-long event at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute that highlighted the growth of the ARMI biofabrication cluster. Also speaking was Jodie Nazaka, Manchester director of economic development; Julie Lenzer, ARMI chief innovation officer; and Andrea Hechavarria, president and CEO of New Hampshire Life Sciences.
Manchester was awarded a $44 million Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant in 2022 to create jobs in the biomedical manufacturing field, particularly production and distribution of regenerative tissue and organs. The cluster developing in the Millyard, with ARMI as the leader, is expected to generate 7,000 direct jobs in the region and as many as 40,000 indirect jobs.
Caswell described the growth of the biofab industry, statewide including in areas outside Manchester, like the Seacoast, Keene, and the Upper Valley.
He also emphasized the work BEA has done to develop strategies related to the recruitment and expansion of the sector, noting its reports, including a life science industry assessment, and data analysis of New Hampshire’s workforce needs and housing supply.
After the event, he said Thursday’s gathering was “a tremendous opportunity to talk to developers and brokers about why New Hampshire is the best location for biomanufacturing and access to a world-class workforce.”
The public can get an update on the effort at the NextGen Manchester Community Update Event 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 21, 150 Dow St., Tower 4. The event, hosted by the NextGen Manchester Resiliency Council is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.