Hawaii Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the fastest growing activity in Hawaii's private technology sector.

The Hawaii biotechnology industry employed 913 people in 37 establishments with annual payroll of $27.1 million and average annual wage of $29,713 in 2001. These figures do not include the biotechnology Research and Development at the University of Hawaii or private hospitals.

Between 1996 and 2001, the number of businesses in Hawaii's biotechnology industry grew 95%, wheras paid employment grew 552% which in turn increased payroll by 554%. Projections indicate Hawaii's biotech industry will employ 6,700 people and generate $3.1 billion in revenues by year 2010.

Currently, seed corn development and aquaculture account for 76.3% of Hawaii's biotech sector jobs. The remaining 23.7% of jobs were through activities in neutraceuticals, botanicals, diagnostic substances and pharmaceuticals. The development of a bioscience park and campus is expected to fuel further developments.

Hawaii's competence in this industry currently resides in four important areas:

• Agriculture
• Environmental bioremediation
• Human therapeutics
• Marine sciences

Hawaii's assets for the biotech industry include:

• Bioscience campus / park under development in Kaka'ako
• Cutting edge public and private biotechnology companies
• Educated and skilled work force
• Federal research funding
• Growing venture capital accessibility
• High technology investment tax credits (Act 221)
• Life Sciences research institutes
• Marine and terrestrial biodiversity
• Opportunities to test drug effectiveness with many ethnic groups
• Strategic mid-pacific site
• Time Zone Advantage
  

Research and educational institutions that are currently fostering future potential in this sector are:

Agriculture and Marine

• Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC)
• Marine Bioproducts Engineering Center (MarBEC)
• University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources (CTAHR)

Human Therapeutics

• Cancer Research Center of Hawaii
• John A. Burns School of Medicine
• Pacific Biomedical Research Center
• Pacific Health Research Institute

Environmental Bioremediation

• Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR) funds for Agriculture based remediation program