Delaware's Life Sciences on the Rise

BY SHAMUS WHYTE

DELAWARE MAY BE SMALL in size, but the state’s life sciences sector is driving innovation, economic growth, and public health breakthroughs that make a profound difference for patients and the future of health care. The robust talent ecosystem, effective public-private partnerships, and investment in workforce initiatives have significantly contributed to the area’s growing appeal to pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Delaware and the greater Philadelphia region are increasingly recognized for their vibrant life sciences sector. One in six U.S. pharmaceutical employees works in this region, giving companies access to a rich and growing talent pipeline. Delaware’s academic institutions have increased the number of life science degrees awarded by 64% since 2010. With leading institutions, the state produces highly skilled graduates and offers robust training pathways to support biotech, medtech, and pharmaceutical employers.

At AstraZeneca, we’re proud of our presence in Delaware and our long history here — the state is home to our U.S. commercial headquarters and hosts more than 1,700 employees across our Wilmington and Newark locations. Our Wilmington-based employees work across business functions critical to U.S. operations, while our Newark manufacturing facility employs a talented workforce that formulates, packs, tests, and distributes 30 different medicines — a number that continues to increase each year. Our Newark site is also one of two main distribution centers in the U.S. for AstraZeneca. Last year alone, our Newark site released more than 1 billion doses of medicines.

Delaware is, and has been, a great place for AstraZeneca to do business for decades — and we’ve continued to grow and invest here thanks to the prime mid-Atlantic location, the ease of doing business, the support from local leaders, and a skilled, dedicated workforce.

As a leading employer in the state, we are pleased to see important life sciences initiatives progressing here in Delaware that will help recruit, retain, and mobilize the next generation of STEM talent. There has been a dynamic transformation of the Delaware life sciences ecosystem as the state and region have become leading global hubs of innovation and talent — and this growth is accelerating thanks to effective public-private and university partnerships.

Earlier this year, a major milestone was reached with the announcement of $8 million in federal funding to the University of Delaware, in partnership with Delaware State University and Delaware Technical Community College, to increase STEM research capacity across the state and bolster workforce development. This commitment to education and the future of STEM is directly contributing to the development and training of the next generation of life sciences and biopharmaceutical talent — from Ph.D.s to those coming out of advanced manufacturing training programs.

Talent in the state and surrounding areas continues to flourish thanks to organizations dedicated to expanding the local sciences community. All of us at AstraZeneca are proud to partner with organizations such as Delaware BIO and BioConnect DE, which help build tomorrow’s life sciences-ready workforce through innovative initiatives that open career doors and equip people from all backgrounds with the tools to pursue meaningful, longterm careers in biosciences.

Cultivating exceptional talent in Delaware is essential to AstraZeneca’s continued success — and, more importantly, to our mission of improving the lives of the patients we serve. We are committed to doing everything we can to contribute to our community and the state’s future health and economic success. We have seen so much growth in Delaware over the almost 25 years that our commercial headquarters have been in Wilmington, and we are certainly optimistic about the First State’s bright future in the life sciences.

Shamus Whyte is the executive director and general manager of AstraZeneca Newark.