The area in the Suburban Maryland, Washington D.C., and Arlington, Virginia vicinity has evolved into an emerging bio med cluster because it has benefitted from its adjacency to the nation's capitol. Couple that location with prominent universities, research hospitals, and biotech corporations, it's no wonder why the Mid-Atlantic region has started to show some muscle.
The region's physical location gives it an advantage over the rest of the country for establishing personal connections to the National Institutes of Health, from where most federal research grants are given. The Food and Drug Administration is headquartered there as well, and this also adds to the flow of contracts and research talent between the federal government sector and the private sector.
The region is still a relatively young cluster compared to Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego however, and therefore many corporations are attracted to the real estate opportunities that still exist in this burgeoning region. Once it matures, it too could see the cost of commercial real estate skyrocket.
Life Sciences Jobs in the Mid-Atlantic Bio Med Cluster
Suburban Maryland, D.C., and Arlington is ranked as the 6th largest bio med cluster in the United States by various data collected by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For example, Maryland-D.C.-Arlington:
- ranks 9th in percentage of its citizenry employed in the life sciences industry out of the 21 identified biotech clusters in the United States, which include the Greater Boston Cluster, Sand Diego, San Francisco, and Research Triangle Park in the Raleigh-Durham area;
- ranks 7th in attracting venture capital funding, which is about $80 Million more than the Philadelphia Cluster;
- ranks 5th in funding from the National Institutes of Health, ahead of Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, and even the 2nd largest cluster overall in the U.S, San Diego;
- of the 21 clusters, ranks 7th in percentage of organizations in the biotech industry in its region;
Suburban Maryland, D.C., Arlington Sub-Markets:
I-270 Corridor
- Nicknamed by locals as "DNA Alley"
- Major employers include National Institutes of Health, Novavax, Qiagen, Emergent BioSolutions, Intrexon, GlaxoSmithKline, National Cancer Institute,
Frederick
- Physically located close to I-270 Corridor, but the real estate costs are lower and thus more affordable for emerging companies and other budget-conscious research organizations
- Some companies have locations in both the I-270 Corridor and in Frederick, including Quiagen, Charles River Laboratories, and MedImmune
- Frederick is definitely an emerging market cluster, and will stay that way for the foreseeable future
The region around the capitol has a healthy mix of university labs, hospital labs, publicly-held and privately-held corporations, and federal government research institutions. This mix has made the area ripe for collaboration across these various sectors. As a result, for someone conducting a job search in the Mid-Atlantic region in the life sciences career path, Suburban Maryland, D.C., and Arlington should provide plenty of interesting opportunities for growth and change.
In addition to the direct company links in this article, you can also find broader job-search functions in the following resources provided by About.com's Job Search Expert, Alison Doyle:
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