New Hampshire Lays Out Local Potential for Biotech

Besides supporting life science research in universities, one of the other key areas states and communities are using to encourage the growth of a local biotech industry is by supporting an increase in the availability of wet lab and other biotech facilities. Biotech space, however, is extremely expensive compared to other traditional tech incubator facilities for a variety of reasons (design, HVAC, environmental, security, regulatory, etc.)

New Hampshire Biotechnology Business Incubator Feasibility Study, a very detailed report released by the State of New Hampshire, presents a critical assessment of New Hampshire's ability to support technology-related business incubators, with emphasis on biotechnology facilities connected to universities such as Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

While the plan was funded by the state's Department of Resources and Economic Development, the effort was designed to search for, and outline in detail, a strategy to develop a stronger local biotech industry with minimal state funding support or involvement.

The study outlines how sustainable technology business incubation may work toward commercialization of S&T-based innovations in biotech, biomedical, environmental and life sciences in the state. By leveraging significant intellectual capital already available in New Hampshire, the study observes, the state could adopt a development strategy that would create jobs and clean industries. Programs focused on biotechnology and biomedical entrepreneurship could then spur improved healthcare products and services, boost the relevance of New Hampshire's academic institutions, and "better leverage the state's significant R&D resources and existing infrastructure."

Using eight main categories, or criteria, the study ranks the New Hampshire communities of the Upper Valley and Seacoast Region as the state's best potential locations for high-tech business incubation programs. Dartmouth supports the Upper Valley, while UNH and the New Hampshire Community Technical College support the Seacoast Region. These communities were determined to be most suitable for starting biosciences oriented facilities, as they met the criteria:

• Access to business support services;
• High-tech R&D base;
• High-tech business base;
• High-tech manufacturing base;
• Access to university and/or federal laboratory technology;
• Community college/workforce development programs;
• Demonstrated access to seed/venture capital; and,
• Community "champions" with a strong mandate to carry out development.

The authors recommend the State of New Hampshire implement the above criteria as "guidelines for assessing communities seeking future funding for high technology incubator development." And, to better provide manufacturing infrastructure for graduating companies, the authors recommend that proposed incubators be connected with the state's manufacturing oriented regions.

The report also includes a real estate report assessing existing buildings and raw land for viability to support strategic placement of biotech facilities, technology parks, and other ancillary facilities to foster a stronger biotech industry. Even proposed development budgets, financial projections, projected timelines for the selected regions are provided to assess the cost-benefit of undertaking the strategy.

New Hampshire Biotechnology Business Incubator Feasibility Study is available as an HTML document <http://NHBiotech.com/Incubator/index.php> and a PDF <http://www.dartmouth.edu/~denet/pdfs/feasibility_study_8b.pdf>.