Life Science Research and Manufacturing

Scientific Advancements

Learn why life science companies choose to be in the Lehigh Valley in this short video about the life science and manufacturing industry in the region.

The Lehigh Valley offers tremendous competitive advantages in the life, biological, and biomedical science fields. The region’s economic assets are uniquely suited to help research and manufacturing firms in this sector pursue new opportunities emerging in the fast-changing life sciences commercial environment.

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An economic analysis by the Atlanta-based Garner Economics identified life sciences research and manufacturing as a target sector for the Lehigh Valley based on these factors, among others:

Central location and proximity to major U.S. Northeast markets
Well-developed transportation infrastructure
Availability of adequate water and sewer lines to industrial sites
Strong existing local pool of high-demand occupations
High relative proportion of residents with bachelor’s degrees in engineering
740 post-secondary completions in year 2012 from local institutions in engineering fields
384 post-secondary completions in year 2012 from local institutions in Biological & Biomedical Sciences fields
1,117 annual post-secondary completions in critical fields from local institutions
Strong recent growth of local healthcare cluster
Strong recent growth and high local specialization in Healthcare & Life Sciences cluster
Presence of Temple University School of Medicine/St. Luke’s University Health Network
Presence of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s independent residency program; clinical campus of University of South Florida’s College of Medicine
Presence of Lehigh University’s Center for Manufacturing Systems Engineering
Quality of place assets: ample opportunities for cultural activities, recreation, shopping, restaurants, and sporting events

The Lehigh Valley has boasted many success stories in the life sciences research and manufacturing sector in recent years. For example, OraSure Technologies was recently commissioned by the federal government to help fight the spread of the Ebola virus. This company began in a business incubator in Bethlehem, Pa., where the economic assets of the Lehigh Valley allowed it to grow into a national leader in point-of-care diagnostics tests and specimen collection devices.

For more information, click here to download the full Garner-Economics report