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Delaware hosts a burgeoning biotechnology and life sciences industry. The First State is bolstered by its legacy as the "chemical capital of the world", as it is home to DuPont. Additional strengths for Delaware include its role as U.S. headquarters for pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca, and its close proximity to the hubs of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.

Many renowned life science companies reside in Delaware. These include Accugenix Inc. in Newark; Adesis, Inc. in New Castle; Analytical Biological Services, Inc. (ABS) in Wilmington; AstraZeneca in Wilmington; ANP Technologies, Inc. in Newark; Athena Biotechnologies, Inc. in Newark; Dade Behring Inc in Newark; Excelsior Labs in Wilmington; Hologic, Inc. in Newark; Incyte Corporation in Wilmington; Microbial ID, Inc. in Newark; MIDI, Inc. in Newark; Lab Products Inc. in Seaford; MacroStat, Inc. in Newark; Noramco Inc. in Wilmington; OrphageniX, Inc. in Wilmington; DuPont Qualicon in Wilmington; Quest Pharmaceutical Services in Newark; Strategic Diagnostics Inc. in Newark; TimTec LLC in Newark; and Wilmington PharmaTech in Newark, among others.

Delaware's academic institutions fuel cutting-edge research for its biotechnology and life sciences industry. The University of Delaware (UD) in Newark receives nearly $150 million in external funding for research annually. UD hosts over 50 research centers and institutes such as the Center for Translational Cancer Research (CTCR), the Avian Biosciences Center, and the Halophyte Biotechnology Center, to name a few. Additionally, UD Research and Graduate Studies offers such services as the Intellectual Property Guide. It also manages all intellectual property developed at UD in addition to providing advice and counsel to UD faculty and staff for disclosing innovations, patents, copyrights, trademarks, contracts, and other research-related agreements. Delaware State University in Dover offers the services of its Office of the Associate Provost for Research (OAPR), which is responsible for maintaining an infrastructure that encourages faculty and students to produce research with beneficial results. Delaware State University's Biological Sciences Department also offers an undergraduate program in Biotechnology. Additionally, Delaware Technical and Community College offers a Biotechnology Program designed to provide a theoretical and practical education in various aspects of biology as well as in analytical chemical techniques.

Delaware offers interdisciplinary centers and institutes that strengthen its biotechnology and life sciences industry. The Delaware Technology Park promotes economic development and innovation via an integrated system of technology-focused facilities and services. The Park works to create and retain high-value jobs for the Mid-Atlantic region, to foster economic growth through commercialization of new technologies, to incubate new technology-oriented businesses, to support expansion of existing businesses into technologies, to promote the reputation of the state's academic institutions, and to develop partnerships among industry, government, and academia. The Park's benefits include wet labs, office space, an advanced IT infrastructure, close proximity to companies with similar backgrounds, a collaborative, networking culture, and a talented employee base from colleges and universities nearby. The Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), based in the University of Delaware in Newark, partners with the state, Delaware Technology Park, Delaware State University, and Delaware Technical and Community College with areas of research emphases such as plant and animal genetics, human health, complex environmental systems, and biomaterials. DBI maintains a leadership position in establishing a State Science and Technology Council, in order to advance Delaware's strategic science and technology plan as a center of excellence in biotechnology and the life sciences. The Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (FhCMB) is a not-for-profit, contract research organization located in the Delaware Technology Park, adjacent to the University of Delaware and affiliated with the Delaware Biotechnology Institute. FhCMB seeks to provide research and development capabilities to business, government, and other organizations, and specializes in plant protein expression systems, functional genomics, and directed evolution.

The state of Delaware helps to foster growth in the biotechnology sector by offering the Delaware Innovation Fund, which provides early-stage investment capital and counsel to encourage the growth of seed and start-up companies in Delaware and throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Up to $500,000 in commercialization funding is available. The Delaware BioScience Association, affiliated with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), is a non-profit association serving its members and the state of Delaware through collaboration with other local businesses and organizations to foster growth in the Delaware bioscience industry. The Delaware Economic Development Office aids businesses with its site selection experts, its assistance with seed-stage equity investments, low interest loans, tax exempt bonding financing, and other services, with the goal of encouraging growth into and within the First State.

With its strategic location, its academic institution research advantages, a legacy of industry, and numerous organizations designed to foster growth in biosciences, Delaware boasts plentiful opportunities for expanding its presence in the life science industry.

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