MANCHESTER, NH – Most New Hampshire residents likely never realized that the state had a robust life sciences industry until the Manchester Millyard’s emerging biofabrication cluster became a hot topic.
But long before the city received a $44 million Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant in November 2022 to help develop a hub that would focus on biofabrication, the state was already home to hundreds of life science-related businesses, both big and small.
New Hampshire Life Sciences, a Bedford-based industry trade group that became an official nonprofit a year ago, is working to make sure that industry stakeholders, and the public at large, understand and benefit from the state’s strong life sciences industry.
NHLS founding members are Portsmouth-based a cancer drug manufacturer Novocure; Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which has offices in Lebanon; and Timberline Construction, which has offices in Merrimack.
“The founding membership is really significant,” NHLS CEO and President Andrea Hechavarria said in an interview with Ink Link. “It’s a group of companies that have come together that have footprints in New Hampshire that are committed to advancing the life sciences in New Hampshire, and see the opportunity and see that there are challenges that we can solve together, and really wanting to promote the industry in the state. And within that, helping to attract talent and retain that talent.”
The group’s mission is to connect life sciences industry companies, get them together, “and really facilitate the advancement of the life sciences industry across the state.”
In June 2023, a Life Sciences Industry Assessment Report from the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs highlighted the industry in the state, and noted the importance of an industry association. At the same time, NHLS was in the process of becoming an official nonprofit.
Like the industry itself, the association has roots that go back years.
“It’s a group that’s been informal for several years,” Hechavarria said. NHLS Cofounder Cindy Conde, who had a career in life sciences and helped form the bio med tech cluster, “determined there was so much going on in New Hampshire with the industry, it needed its own vertical.”
The group had been meeting informally and connecting industry leaders with one another. “Just as the Life Sciences Assessment Report was coming out, New Hampshire Life Sciences was really coming into formation…it was really coming together at the same time,” Hechavarria said.
She said the group “absolutely leans on the Life Science Assessment Report to showcase and share with people the data that came out of that and the story that’s within that.”
The information in the report is eye-opening for New Hampshire residents “on just the opportunity for life-sciences, the challenges we need to work through as well,” she said, adding that the industry is strong in the state, as well as diverse.
“And we’ve been using some of that information to share with leaders across the state and across industries,” she said.
Some of the highlights of the report are:
- Life sciences resulted in $4.3 billion in sales in the state in 2021
- 612 payrolled life sciences businesses in the state in 2021
- Represented 11,290 jobs with average salaries of $130,848 a year
- The industry grew 15% in New Hampshire from 2012-2021
- It’s expected to add 727 jobs by 2026
- The industry’s top group, medical device manufacturing, accounted for 31% of all life science jobs
- Research and development services accounted for 26%
- Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing, 23%
- Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 16%
- Medical and diagnostic laboratories (4%).
Taylor Caswell, BEA commissioner, told Ink Link that the life science industry is growing in New Hampshire because of the state’s favorable business environment, proximity to Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has a robust life sciences industry, and the Advance Regenerative Manufacturing Institute project in Manchester’s Millyard.
“To expand our efforts in attracting these companies, we need a strong private sector partner that can bring an industry specific peer-to-peer level component to promotion and recruitment. NHLS is definitely playing that role,” Caswell said.
Hechavarria said Millyard ARMI biofab effort has helped spread awareness of the state’s life sciences industry. That effort now also includes Nashua, with the announcement last month of a $40 million tech hub grant.
“I do believe there’s been a growing interest in what’s happening in New Hampshire…[NHLS] has been formed to not only share that story and support that story, but to grow the entire life sciences industry from medical devices to biofab to traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing to diagnostics,” she said. “For a small state, we’ve got a lot of different kind of sub-industries within the life sciences.”
Hechavarria said that the fact Timberline Construction is an NHLS founding member highlights the reach the industry has.
“People say, ‘Why Timberline?’ Well, Timberline is a huge partner to life sciences companies, They’ve built headquarters, built labs. They’ve really partnered with companies for a long time, helping them fulfill their needs,” she said. “That’s been significant, because there’s just been a general interest in companies wanting to grow or expand in New Hampshire.”
Aside from traditional life sciences business, the report notes that emerging businesses include advanced materials and regenerative manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, digital technology and the growth of medtech, personalized medicine, and more
NHLS has several tiers of membership: Life Science Industry Members are for-profit companies in the broader life sciences industry; Associate Industry Members are businesses that provide consulting, business services and products to the life sciences industry; there’s also a tier for nonprofit, academic and government members.
The three founding members of NHLS have been joined in the past year by Life Sciences Industry Members are KeySpin Manufacturing, of Merrimack; Foxx Life Sciences, of Londonderry; and Sequence Biotech, of Amherst. The University of new Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire have Academic Institution memberships.
Hechavarria said that NHLS plans to announce several new members in the coming weeks.
Hechavarria said the group plans to be a partner with the state in recruiting life sciences businesses to locate in New Hampshire. NHLS works closely with BEA, and as businesses look for more information on locating in New Hampshire, or expanding here, the association will work with the state in helping them understand the industry.
NHLS also plans to achieve its mission of connecting and advancing the industry through member programs and events, networking, offering industry intelligence, peer collaboration and services, and more.
“It’s really a traditional trade association to support that and really working toward building awareness around the life sciences in New Hampshire, so people realize that we have a very dynamic industry here, and if you’re interested in the life sciences, there are opportunities for you here,” Hechavarria said.
Connecting industry leaders is only part of the goal. Spreading awareness to people who aren’t in the industry, but may benefit from knowing more, is another part.
Hechavarria said people may be aware of the larger companies in the state, “But at the same time, I don’t think they’re aware of what happens at these facilities. There’s a huge opportunity to build awareness about what other companies are doing and the contributions they’re making to improve patient lives across the globe.”