Arizona has sent another large delegation to Chicago this week for the 2010 BIO International Convention, the largest annual meeting in the world for the bioscience industry.
Executives from numerous Arizona bioscience companies have been joined at the Arizona Pavilion by representatives of the state’s three research universities, local and state economic-development officials, and the leaders of the Arizona BioIndustry Association, the state’s industry group and the Arizona liason to the international Biotechnology Industry Organization.
On the opening day of the 2010 BIO International Convention, Battelle released its annual State Bioscience Initiatives report, which found the biosciences continuing to add jobs nationwide in 2008–the most recent year for which full data is available–even as the global recession took hold.
An individual report for Arizona showed impressive growth over the survey period of 2001-2008: While the state’s employment base grew by 15 percent, its bioscience employment base shot up 35.6 percent. The report noted that bioscience jobs in Arizona paid nearly $60,000, compared to just under $42,000 in the broader private sector.