Surprising to many, Michigan already has built a vigorous life science community. The state boasts more than 300 biotech companies, a handful of pharmaceutical giants, and a triad of world-class research universities. This lineup helped create 16,800 life science jobs in 2000, making the state the 11th largest supplier of such positions in the United States, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). The workers generate $1.6 billion (US) in sales, placing the state 10th among those that produce life-science revenues. Michigan also compares favorably to the new biotechnology clusters in Britain, Sweden, and Germany.
The total number of biotechnology companies nearly matches those found in the region surrounding the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, but Michigan officials concede the state cannot boast of a large concentration of these companies, as can Boston, San Francisco, Metropolitan Washington D.C., or Research Triangle Park, N.C. The state also lacks sufficient ...
