Pennsylvania Works Toward $90 Million Life Sciences Initiative

Governor Tom Ridge’s $90 million plan to create a series of life science research/commercialization centers would be the largest, single technology initiative ever proposed in Pennsylvania, according to a recent press release from the Governor's office. The Life Sciences Greenhouse Initiative would be a network of innovation centers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg closely connected to university research activities. To be seeded with a $90 million investment from a one-time surplus of tobacco settlement funds, the centers would be sustained by grants from the ongoing settlement.



The initiative hopes to capitalize on increased private and federal research investment as well as the state's 30 percent growth in employment in life-sciences industries over the last five years -- double the rate of overall job growth in that same period. The Life Sciences Greenhouse network would be a university-industry-state partnership for research and commercialization of life science technologies.



Governor Ridge hosted leaders of Pennsylvania’s biotech industry last week to begin the process of designing the new tech-based economic development effort. The Greenhouse model is based on the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse, launched by Gov. Ridge in 1999, that focuses on computer-chip design. (See the July 23, 1999, SSTI Weekly Digest article and http://www.digitalgreenhouse.com/)

Gov. Ridge also did a three-city fly-around the state to promote the importance of biotechnology and the life sciences proposal for Pennsylvania's future economic health. He called on the General Assembly to pass the Life Sciences Greenhouse initiative in conjunction with his overall tobacco-settlement plan, which he presented to the General Assembly in January 2000.



More information is available at: http://www.dced.state.pa.us/