If you're a biotech professional standing where this country declared its independence (Philadelphia, that is) you would also be in the center of a major life science community. You could literally walk in any direction and come across pillars of the life science community like Novo Nordisk in southern New Jersey, AstraZeneca in northern Delaware, GlaxoSmithKline in downtown Philadelphia and Cephalon in the suburbs of southeastern Pennsylvania. Not to mention the fact that, in your travels, you would most definitely run into biotech colleagues, since the region has 53,000 workers in the core life sciences industry and 310,200 workers in supporting industries. Also found locally are world-renowned higher education institutions which support the major life science research in Greater Philadelphia like Princeton University, Rutgers University-Camden, Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, the University of Delaware, and many, many more.

Already home to approximately 400 life sciences companies, Greater Philadelphia's thriving life sciences cluster of pharmaceutical, biotech, R&D and support companies is one of the largest in the country. The Greater Philadelphia region, which includes 11 counties in northern Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, ranks ahead of all U.S. metropolitan areas for life sciences economic impact, according to a recent study by the Milken Institute.

The same study cited specific advantages that help local life sciences companies prosper in the Greater Philadelphia region including its venture capital investment growth, R&D employment growth, pharmaceutical location quotient, and academic degrees awarded in entrepreneurship. It found that the region ranked second in terms of FDA new drug approvals and percentage of life science patents. And finally, it found that for every person living in the Greater Philadelphia region, $443 is spent on life sciences industrial research and development, which is the highest in the nation.

It is a fact: the Greater Philadelphia region offers a world-class life science infrastructure and unrivaled support resources to accelerate drug commercialization - from R&D through distribution. And that's why Select Greater Philadelphia (Select) has identified and chosen to promote the life sciences as one of the region's major industry clusters.

Select recently created a new Web site specifically devoted to the life science industry in Greater Philadelphia: www.GetThere1st.com. The site provides more detailed information on why the region is the place for life science companies to be and how the region helps life science companies "Get there first" by supporting the development and commercialization of Life Sciences products.

An economic development marketing organization, Select Greater Philadelphia was created four years ago as part of a new initiative to promote the Greater Philadelphia region as a premier business location. As the region's first business marketing initiative, Select has brought together 11 counties in three states in an effort to better compete in the global economy.

The non-profit organization is dedicated to building the economy of the Greater Philadelphia Region by enhancing the area's profile and image in order to attract and retain businesses. It markets nationally and globally to position the region as a profitable business location, particularly for life science organizations. It offers a single source of customized information for companies looking to expand or locate their businesses within the region and also facilitates introductions to state and local economic development representatives.

With more than 100 local companies supporting Select Greater Philadelphia as investors and ambassadors for the region, and its affiliation with the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, Select provides valuable connections to the region's many executives in multiple industries. These leaders open the door to business opportunities and help answer questions about doing business in Greater Philadelphia, including the availability of local talent, quality of life and other assets and opportunities the region has to offer.

For more information about Select Greater Philadelphia or the Greater Philadelphia region as a business location, please call us at 800.221.0774 or visit www.selectgreaterphila.com