Arizona’s Bioscience Timeline

Tracking the Progress of Arizona’s Bioscience Initiative

• 2000–04Prop. 301 passage secures estimated $1.25B over 20 years for university research.
• Flinn Foundation commissions the inaugural Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, a 10-year plan to establish the state as a bioscience leader in the Southwest.
• BIO5 Institute debuts at U of A; ASU’s Biodesign Institute established.
• TGen opens, downtown Phoenix; International Genomics Consortium (IGC) locates in Arizona.
• Legislature approves $440M to build university research facilities.
• Phoenix Biomedical Campus established, downtown Phoenix.

• 2005–08Critical Path Institute (C-Path) opens, Tucson.
• Legislature passes angel investor tax credit, expanded R&D tax credit.
• Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust commits $50M to personalized, or precision, medicine.
• Classes begin at U of A College of Medicine-Phoenix.
• Roche buys Ventana Medical Systems for $3.4B, later announces major expansion, Oro Valley.
• NACET high-tech business incubator, TGen North open, Flagstaff.

• 2009–2012ASU, U of A, GateWay Community College, cities of Chandler, Flagstaff, Peoria and Surprise devote millions to new incubators, accelerators, research parks.
• W.L. Gore announces $130M Phoenix expansion.
• State creates Arizona Commerce Authority to promote economic development.
• U of A opens Health Sciences Education Building on Phoenix Biomedical Campus for research, medical students, NAU allied-health programs.

• 2013–15Tech Launch Arizona becomes U of A’s commercialization arm.
• FDA approves pancreatic-cancer drug combo tested by TGen, Scottsdale Healthcare (now HonorHealth).
• C-Path receives Gates Foundation grants to advance TB treatments.
• Flinn Foundation updates Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap to guide growth through 2025.
• ASU Biodesign research instrumental in fighting Ebola virus.
• AZBio hosts White Hat Investors, state’s first bioscience capital conference.
• Banner Health acquires U of A Health Network in merger.
• Flagstaff Business Accelerator opens doors to startups.
• Dignity Health St. Joseph’s, U of A open new cancer center.

• 2016–2018NAU launches Pathogen and Microbiome Institute.
• TGen acquired by City of Hope.
• Arizona Bioscience Week debuts to promote sector.
• U of A Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building opens on Phoenix Biomedical Campus.
• Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, partnering with ASU, welcomes inaugural class to Scottsdale campus.
• Legislature authorizes $1B for university research infrastructure; extends Prop. 301 for 20 years, including TRIF; approves $10M for angel investor tax credit.
• TGen North, NAU develop MRSA, Valley fever tests.
• NAU obtains $21M NIH grant to study Southwest health disparities.

• 2019–2021BD anchors new bio-focused IDEA Tempe campus.
• U of A accepts first class for new College of Veterinary Medicine in Oro Valley; university opens Center for Innovation incubator nearby.
• C-Path receives FDA contract to improve Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s trial design.
• Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences buys Arizona-based companies Ashion, Paradigm Diagnostics, and Viomics, all spinouts of TGen or IGC Arizona.
• COVID-19 Genomics Union forms with TGen and state universities to conduct genomic sequencing.
• Phoenix Biomedical Campus rebrands as Phoenix Bioscience Core, welcomes 850 PBC research and innovation center.
• Mayo Clinic acquires 228 acres in north Phoenix for “Discovery Oasis” biotech corridor.
• Creighton University opens medical school on new health sciences campus in Midtown Phoenix.
• NIH awards U of A $60M to create Precision Aging Network.
• Arizona angel investor tax credit reauthorized for $25M over 10 years.

• 2022-2025Flinn Foundation launches newest iteration of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, meant to establish the state as a nationally recognized bioscience leader by 2030.
• U of A launches health technology consortium HealthTech Connect to connect biotech, healthcare, startup, corporate, higher-education, funding and economic-development communities.
• ASU announces and breaks ground on ASU Health, which will house a medical school in downtown Phoenix. U of A plans to double the size of its medical schools.
• Mayo Clinic plans $2B expansion, gets development approval for Discovery Oasis medical and research campus.
• Connect Labs by Wexford opens in downtown Phoenix, featuring secured labs and offices for emerging bio companies.
• The Arizona Bioindustry Association celebrates 20 years.
• GPEC earns federal grant to advance medical device manufacturing.
• TGen to lead pancreatic cancer research with $4.5M NIH grant.
• GCU’s business accelerator partners with venture capital firm Canyon Ventures.
• Flagstaff-based Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour visits a record number of cities.
• Flinn Foundation Bio Capital Conference established as annual event for founders, funders.
• NAU earns R1 classification as top-tier research institution.
• New Valleywise Health hospital opens. The teaching hospital also features the Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center.
• Onvida Health—formerly Yuma Regional Medical Center—partners with Arizona Western College on Health Careers Center.
• U of A College of Medicine-Phoenix and Onvida Health partner on new rural regional medical-school branch in Yuma.
• U of A and ASU each exceed $1B in total research activity for first time in fiscal year 2024.