Utah’s Current Life-Science Landscape

Since 2012, Utah has become home to one of the fastest growing life sciences industries in the nation. Over 1,000 life sciences companies contribute $13 Billion to the state’s GDP, while providing employment for over 50,000 employees. Utah is a great place to do business, especially for startups. Lower taxes, supportive regulatory environment, a skilled workforce and a welcoming innovation hub are increasingly attracting companies to the state, especially those in life sciences.

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As a result of this rapid growth and ideal landscape, BioUtah was created in 2012 to elevate the stature and influence of Utah’s life science community on the national and global stage. As the state’s only trade association dedicated solely to the life sciences industry, the organization serves Utah’s medical device, biopharma and healthcare industries through networking, advocacy and education programs. BioUtah creates value for its 200 + members through events, legislative initiatives, and communication outreach. They foster relationships within and between industry, government and education to provide growth opportunities through funding, talent acquisition and development, as well as strategic partnerships.

Utah’s governor, Spencer J. Cox credits BioUtah with playing a critical role in expanding life sciences presence and innovation across the state.

According to Governor Cox, “Life sciences have become a strategic pillar of Utah’s economy. The industry embodies entrepreneurship and innovation in its work to improve and save lives through advanced testing, novel technologies, and groundbreaking cures.”

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The Goal of BioUtah

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BioUtah is an independent, 501 (c)(6) trade organization comprised of manufacturers and developers of medical devices, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and biotechnology. Together they form an ecosystem that fosters collaboration, promotes innovation, and delivers the technologies that save lives and improve quality of life. National trade associations and key service providers that provide industry support also make up BioUtah’s membership. 90% of its members are businesses which have operations, or are headquartered in the state of Utah, but members also include national and international groups who want to be involved and stay privy to activity in the local market.

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The Association’s President & CEO, Kelvyn Cullimore, has three decades of experience as a medtech CEO and over a decade on the board of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association. He brings a unique understanding of industry and policy issues to advance BioUtah’s objectives and help its member companies. Cullimore has been the CEO of BioUtah since October 2018 and says, “We think of ourselves as all things life science in the state of Utah.”

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In addition to connecting businesses to investors, Cullimore believes that the group’s advocacy is another benefit of membership in BioUtah, “We are the voice of the industry here. So, when it comes to policy at either the state or federal level, by joining with us, industry leaders strengthen their voice on advocacy issues. If there is a bad policy being considered, we can try and stop it. If there’s a good policy being considered, we can advance it.”

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Cullimore also stresses that the association provides group purchasing opportunities. Members can save more than the cost of their membership by taking advantage of BioUtah’s existing contracts with vendors such as Chubb Insurance, UPS and Office Depot.

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Utah’s life sciences industry is a key driver of the state’s economy, and BioUtah is committed to growing the industry into a global leader by advocating for legislative initiatives focused on the cause of healthcare in Utah at both the state and federal levels. “BioUtah works closely with our economic development partners here in the state of Utah, including EDC, Utah, whose job it is to recruit companies to come to the state. We’re a resource for them.” Cullimore said. “We work with any life science companies in the state, or those that have an interest in coming here.”

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BioUtah helps both the public and private sectors to better appreciate the economic contributions made by the life sciences industry by providing educational forums in order to bring current topics of discussion to the forefront and by encouraging collaboration and innovation amongst members.

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BioUtah Events

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In addition to educational forums, BioUtah hosts two events each year

to foster growth and education between the industry and its partners.

In the spring, The Entrepreneur & Investor Life Sciences Summit is held,

and in the fall, they host the Utah Life Sciences Summit (formerly known as BioHive).

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The Entrepreneur & Investor Life Sciences Summit was established to bring together

investors and companies seeking funding. The Summit also highlights the life sciences

companies in Utah to showcase exciting investable technologies being developed

in the state. The E&I summit also features programming designed to help foster

the entrepreneurial spirit, educate on practical applications of business development, and

provide content to assist early-stage companies by promoting networking between

various segments of the life sciences community.

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This year’s summit held at the University of Utah, with just over 400 registrants, placed particular emphasis on companies seeking funding. According to the summit recap on the association’s website, “Six companies participated in the popular Pitch Competition, each deserving recognition for their vision and novel technologies. The judges faced a difficult decision in choosing just two winners. nView Medical took first place and Birch OS was a close second, as runner up.”

“Attendees heard from distinguished speakers, including keynote speaker Monica DiCenso, with J.P. Morgan, who addressed market conditions and a timely analysis of the Silicon Valley Bank failure. Panels featured an impressive lineup of CEOs who have successfully taken life sciences companies from

concept to commercialization, as well as national and local investors that highlighted opportunities for startups and helped innovators understand the state of financing in the industry.”

A popular perk of this summit for these young companies was the ability to meet with an expert that could guide them on applying for, and winning, NIH grants. NIH grants were created to spur innovation and assist in product development costs, but the submission process is daunting to those without experience. Providing life science entrepreneurs with actionable guidance by an industry expert is one of the main pillars of BioUtah’s mission.

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“This year’s record attendance reflects an excitement about the innovation and growth potential of Utah’s life sciences industry,” said Cullimore. “In fact, new data released by the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute confirmed that Utah has been home to the fastest growing life sciences community in the nation from 2012-2021.”

Following the pitch competition, several successful Utah life science companies gave presentations on their company’s journey from startup to successful business. One of these companies, Owlet, which was born from a new parent’s desire to keep his children safe and decrease caretaker anxiety, has grown into a very successful Utah-based company. Owlet is focused on bringing new products to market that will keep babies safe and parents more informed regarding their child’s health.

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The summit wrapped up with a ski day at Deer Valley. Ski enthusiasts shredded the mountain while others enjoyed a slope side lunch, engaging in conversations started at the conference.

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This fall, BioUtah will host the Utah Life Science Summit. Formerly known as BioHive, the convention’s dedication to innovation and collaboration to help improve healthcare for millions of patients remains the same. This year’s summit will showcase a thriving collective of more than 1,100 companies representing the life science and healthcare innovation ecosystem of Utah’s economy. This includes researchers, developers, and manufacturers of therapeutics, devices, and diagnostics, as well as laboratory facilities, healthcare delivery systems, digital health, health IT, and supply chain businesses that support these industries.

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The Life Science Summit’s purpose is to tell the story of the nation’s fastest growing life science hub to the people of Utah, the nation and the world. By supporting each other and strengthening the collective expertise and resources, the summit aims to bring unique solutions to impact patients faster while helping to make our healthcare system more efficient.

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BioUtah Focus

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As one of the nation’s fastest growing life science communities, BioUtah believes the state’s unity has always been their strategic advantage. BioUtah aims to enhance the standing and impact of Utah's life sciences community by capitalizing on the state's capacity to attract top talent from local universities and out-of-state professionals drawn to the region's expertise in life sciences and the exceptional quality of life it offers. Additionally, BioUtah seeks to leverage these advantages to attract venture capital and foster a diverse community.

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BioUtah’s extensive network of key influencers on the state, national and global levels, educational networking opportunities, and significant discounts on products and services is open to anyone since there is no cost to be a part of the collective and membership to BioUtah is not required.

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For more information visit: bioutah.org