EDITOR'S NOTE

It's the bioeconomy

Remember when "bio" was short for biography? Or when most people older than a certain age associated it with the word biology, a class in high school where real worms and frogs, instead of computer images, had to be dissected?

Well, these days there is huge growth in businesses described as biotechnology, biomedicine, biosciences, bioeducation, biomanufacturing "" all part of the bioeconomy.

They are involved in everything from pharmaceuticals to manufacturing to medical products.

All our lives have been touched, and will increasingly be so, by this technology, especially we hope in the areas of medical research.

The demand for workers is outstripping the supply, including here on the Seacoast where there is a notable presence of such businesses, including the $300 million expansion of Swiss-based Lonza at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth.

The salaries are competitive and people leaving schools that provide such training are practically guaranteed jobs. For instance, the Battelle Memorial Institute, a biotech industry think tank, estimates the average annual salary in the bioscience field to be about $65,775.

In one local example, a young woman who went to the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter and then biotechnology for two years at New Hampshire Community Technical College at Pease landed a job at Lonza and plans to get her bachelor's and master's degrees in the field from UNH, which will in part be financed by Lonza. (See story.).

"New Hampshire is being recognized more as a biomanufacturing leader," according to Sonia Wallman, the director of the Biotechnology Education and Technology Center at the Pease campus of NHCTC.

But it's a highly competitive process.

Both Maine and Massachussetts are also trying to attract biotech companies to their states. (See story.).

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in May announced a $1 billion initiative to boost biotechnology.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci proposed a bond package with $131 million targeting the biotechnology sector, which, after revisions, will be a $55 million referendum question on the state ballot in November.

New Hampshire aims to expand its incentives with a new $1 million permanent job training fund and a proposed research and development tax credit, according to Michael Vlacich, state director of economic development.

On the biomedical front, New Hampshire and Maine are also flourishing. (See story.).

One significant development was in May when Merck bought New Hampshire-based GlycoFi Inc. for $400 million to enhance its biologics research and development. The acquisition may help Merck scientists discover, develop and produce drugs in areas such as oncology, as well as vaccines for infectious diseases, said Peter S. Kim, president of Merck Research Laboratories.

Clearly, biotech is a wave of the future and will play an integral part in the economy of the Seacoast.

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In other features of this month's Ventures, you will read about Sue Suter, executive director of the United Way of the Greater Seacoast, and how she has been guiding the transformation of the organization from an agency that distributes charitable donations to nonprofit groups to one that is more proactive in taking on social issues (See story.).

In Entrepreneur Watch, we talk with Mark Galvin, founder of Whaleback Systems, who has seen his company grow from three employees to 43 workers and a prime location at Pease International Tradeport. He says his goal is to leverage VOIP (or voice over Internet protocol) technology to help small and medium businesses reduce capital and operating costs while taking advantage of full-featured telephone services (See story.).

And in The Last Word, Nicole Gregg, director of the New Hampshire Film Festival, talks about the growth of the event over the past seven years into a vital part of Portsmouth's cultural scene. (See story.).

Reach CAL KILLEEN via e-mail or 570-2243.