Commissioned report pushes $750 million investment in biotech
By Rebecca Cook, The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Gov. Gary Locke is considering a plan to invest up to $750 million in public money over 15 years to nurture the growing biotechnology industry in Washington state. The "Bio 21" report, commissioned by the governor, says the investment will pay off by creating thousands of good-paying jobs as well as sparking valuable health care research.
The "Bio 21" report, commissioned by the governor, says the investment will pay off by creating thousands of good-paying jobs as well as sparking valuable health care research. But the technology and education leaders who wrote the report warn that if Washington doesn't put up some seed money soon, the state could lose the biotech race to other states and countries.
"This would make a difference in the health of our citizens and the health of our economy," said Susannah Malarkey, executive director of a high-tech policy and research group and a member of the Bio 21 executive committee. "If we can be a center for global health, that's a really good 21st century economy to have."
The report advises the state to spend about $50 million a year for 15 years to help attract and retain star scientists, build research facilities, purchase high-tech equipment, and provide early money to help researchers break into new fields.
Now the $750 million question is, where would the money come from? The Bio 21 committee left that question to Locke and the Legislature. The governor got the final report Monday. He mentioned the Bio 21 initiative enthusiastically in his State of the State Address on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Locke and his advisers were still reviewing the recommendations and figuring out what to do with them. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report from the governor's office.
The state's most likely option is to tap the tobacco settlement money. Washington expects to get about $4 billion over 25 years from the 1998 settlement between 46 states and the four largest tobacco companies. Because Washington State Attorney General Christine Gregoire was the lead negotiator, the state also gets a $350 million bonus on the tenth anniversary of the settlement. Biotech boosters are hungrily eyeing that money.
Gregoire has spent a lot of energy slapping greedy hands away from the tobacco settlement dough. Washington has used its settlement money for health care and anti-smoking programs, unlike many states that just threw it into the general budget. But Gregoire, who is running for governor, said she supports using the tobacco money for biotechnology investment.
"It's health care related, and that's a part of what the tobacco settlement was about," Gregoire said.
The Bio 21 report says Washington has a lot of advantages in the biotech industry. The state is home to about 190 biotechnology companies, and Malarkey said the industry employs about 25,000 people in Washington. According to Bio 21, about half the businesses are based on technologies developed at one of Washington's research institutions: the University of Washington, Washington State University, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, or Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
The existing biotech industry developed with little or no help from government. The Bio 21 report says Washington ranks 46th in per capita state spending on research and development.
"The competitive landscape is changing dramatically," the report says. "If Washington is to retain, much less advance, its leadership position, state commitment and action is required."
The Bio 21 plan focuses on biotechnology with health care applications. It also seeks to carve out a niche for Washington in the combination of information technology — computers and software — and biotechnology.
One example of a grant-worthy project included in the report is a plan to establish a high-speed, high-bandwidth network connecting researchers in Seattle with researchers at the supercomputer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Tri-Cities. Those researchers are searching for "biomarkers" for cancer and other diseases. Having the network could help researchers win designation as a "National Center for Biomedical Computing," which would open the doors to even more grant money from the federal government.
"What we're offering is a suggested plan to move from the level we're at to being in the top tier," said Shan Mullin, a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm and co-chairman of the Bio 21 steering committee. "We need to get organized, and that is what this is all about." |
