A Healthy Climate for Life Sciences Firms

The Tennessee Valley offers all the right conditions for life sciences companies to thrive and prosper, including a favorable investment climate, the presence of major research institutions, and existing industries in the field.

Regional advantages

• The TVA service area is located in a seven-state region that receives approximately $1.5 billion in National Institutes of Health research grants annually.

• The region has four medical schools: Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee, East Tennessee State University, and Meharry.

• Two pharmaceutical schools are located in the Valley, one at the University of Mississippi and the other at the University of Tennessee. One more is being developed at East Tennessee State University.

• The Valley has a number of world-class research institutions, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; and Hudson Alpha Institute in Huntsville, Alabama.

• TVA has a long history of offering strong support for the commercialization of technology. Through its Business Incubation Network, it supports the start-up and growth of new companies. It also supports the growth of emerging venture capital firms.

• Regional institutions are actively developing a strong base for the life sciences industry. Memphis Bioworks, for example, was founded in 2001 to promote biomedical technology. The nonprofit foundation supports medical research and conferences and is constructing a new biomedical research institute and development center

Industry leaders with a presence in the Valley

• Abbott Laboratories • AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals • Atrion Corporation • BioMimetic Therapeutics  • Caremark • Cell Genesys • GlaxoSmithKline • Greystone Pharmaceuticals • GTx • Johnson & Johnson • King Pharmaceuticals • Medco • Medtronic Sofamor Danek • Nektar Therapeutics • New Century Pharmaceuticals • Open Biosystems • Operon Biotechnologies • Pfizer Inc. • Smith & Nephew • Vintage Pharmaceuticals • Wright Medical Technology

For more information, contact TVA Economic Development:

Phone: 615-232-6225

E-mail: tvainfo@tva.com

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