Opportunity Is Knocking

In the twentieth century, Delaware built its economy on “the four Cs” — cars, chemicals, credit cards, and chickens. With strong footing in the manufacturing, technological, financial, and agricultural sectors, Delaware’s economy has robustly weathered the ups and downs of recent decades. So why are business and government leaders in the state now looking to biotechnology to become one of the economic pillars of the twenty-first century?

Growth in a number of the “four Cs” industries has reached a plateau. At the same time, state leaders have taken note that Delaware is extremely well positioned to become a major center for biotechnology and biosciences research. Delaware is geographically situated in the heart of one of the top existing “biotech clusters” in the nation. Eighty percent of the so-called “Big Pharma” companies are located within a two hour’s drive from Wilmington. The state is already home to the highest concentration of biological scientists of any state in the union and has the highest industrial research and development expenditures per capita. In short, we are poised to take advantage of a major growth opportunity.