Greater Portland is emerging as a hotbed for new companies in computational biology, biochemistry and cellular programming. These legacy businesses and startups are regularly delivering life-changing innovations.
From Hillsboro to Beaverton, Vancouver to Wilsonville, businesses are focused on developing biopharmaceuticals, advancing medical devices and updating existing therapies. They contribute to the region’s up-and-coming reputation in pharma for excellence in drug discovery and drug development. Major employers, such as Thermo Fisher, Microsystems Technologies, and Twist Bioscience, attract the world’s best bioscience minds to Greater Portland, growing the region’s output for biotechnology and bioscience discoveries.
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Biotech & Bioscience Industry Fast Facts
7,800
Employees
*GPI Research
208
Establishments
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Our Biotech & Bioscience Industry Strengths
Highly Skilled Talent
Specialized university labs in the region include: Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) National Primate Research Center, UO’s Genomics & Cell Characterization Core Facility, OHSU’s biolibrary of tissues and blood and OHSU’s Massively Parallel Sequencing Shared Resource. This access to hands-on education boosts the number of STEM occupations, which made up 27% of our region’s jobs in 2022. According to the Oregon Employment Department, STEM occupations in the region are also expected to grow over 15% in the next decade.
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Silicon Forest Expertise
Home to Intel’s global R&D headquarters, Greater Portland is uniquely positioned to support biotech and bioscience companies, which share the semiconductor industry’s engineering talent pool and suppliers, as well as experts practiced in delivering cleanrooms for product testing and development.
Across the region, biotech and pharmaceutical companies are researching the capabilities of advanced technologies for developing life-changing biopharmaceutical products, such as vaccines and other immunotherapies. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has funded three projects with OHSU to use machine learning to improve healthcare outcomes and commercialization.
Cancer Treatment Pioneer
OHSU is the region’s premier research institution. It employs 21,300 people and received nearly $600 million in research funding in 2023. OHSU is home to the Knight Cancer Institute, which is leading the world in personalized cancer medicine, including cancer therapies and diagnostics. The institution is also at the forefront of clinical research, driving advancements in therapeutics and improving patient outcomes through over 400 clinical trials.
Top Portland Bioscience & Biotechnology Employers
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