Axios Live: Huntsville's biotech boom opens paths beyond research
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Axios' Derek Lacey (left) with Alabama state Rep. Rex Reynolds on stage at an Oct. 15 Axios Live event. Photo: Neville Simpson for Axios
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville is building a biotech economy, and the city will need a larger workforce with specialized skills to support the burgeoning industry.
Why it matters: If the region pairs its research strengths with practical training, infrastructure and employer partnerships, recent investments could transform it into a lasting life-sciences hub.
Axios' Derek Lacey and Brock Turner spoke to Jerome Baudry, chair of biological sciences at The University of Alabama in Huntsville; Cummings Research Park executive director Erin Koshut; HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology president Neil Lamb; and Alabama state Rep. Rex Reynolds. The Oct. 15 event was sponsored by PhRMA.
What they're saying: Education is a key piece of the puzzle.
- Reynolds said workforce development could begin before students reach college, guiding them toward industries that are new to northern Alabama and give the next generation the skills they need.
- The University of Alabama in Huntsville is developing a professional master's program and a new biotech concentration to prepare students for shifting industry needs, Baudry said.
- "Multidisciplinary approaches are going to be the key of continuing to lead here," he said.
Zoom in: HudsonAlpha connects interns, companies, entrepreneurs and scientists for maximum collaboration, Lamb said.
- "How do we weave these pieces together … has been part of the fabric of the institute from the beginning," Lamb said.
Follow the money: "Biotech companies want to be around other biotech companies," Koshut said, so creating the conditions for one may bring others.
- "Investments made by the city … ensure the people that live here have a place they want to call home," Koshut added.
What's next: Biotech in Alabama in 10 years "will just grow from here," Reynolds said. "But we are doing the right things with the right partners."
Content from the sponsor's segment:
In a sponsored View From the Top conversation, PhRMA senior vice president of public affairs Alex Schriver said industry investments could strengthen the U.S. supply chain.
- "Our partner companies have announced in the last year over $500 billion … to bring medicine development back to the United States and produce those medicines here in America," Schriver said.
Graciela M. Romero, Eli Lilly vice president and Huntsville site head, said the company's decision to build its $6 billion plant in Huntsville was based on the area's infrastructure, policy and workforce potential.
- "Part of why Lilly selected Huntsville [is] easy access to utilities, easy access to transportation, favorable zoning and incentives. … But at the end of the day, it's about the location and community," Romero said.
Go deeper: Watch the full event.
