Fueling Innovation: How Phoenix Became a Bioscience Powerhouse
February 10, 2025

Fueling Innovation: How Phoenix Became a Bioscience Powerhouse

By
Jessica Marabella

At Freeway, we are committed to championing the acceleration of startup technology innovation and collaboration in the Phoenix region. We’ve long recognized the rapid growth and continued potential of our bioscience and healthcare sector. We are thrilled to celebrate the Mayo Clinic’s selection of Phoenix as its next biotechnology innovation hub

Mayo’s Discovery Oasis Development

The Mayo Clinic’s new biotechnology innovation hub will be located on the Discovery Oasis campus, a sanctuary for scientific research and medical health innovation among leading established biotechnology companies and promising startups. Set to open in 2027, phase one of Mayo’s Discovery Oasis development will establish a cutting-edge ecosystem where biotechnology companies, researchers, educators, and healthcare providers converge to solve some of the world’s most complex medical challenges. 

The campus, which will collaborate with the Mayo Clinic, Arizona State University (ASU), and other companies and developers, is expected to create hundreds or thousands of new jobs. It will be designed to be inclusive and accessible and to promote a focus on occupants. 

The Mayo Clinic’s Discovery Oasis campus will further include:

  • A network of research and development commercial and support amenities
  • Sustainable infrastructure
  • Emerging transportation technology
  • A collaborative ecosystem for faculty, clinical staff, and students

“At Mayo Clinic, we see Discovery Oasis as an opportunity to invite other healthcare innovation companies and technology leaders to come to collaborate with us, to have access to our doctors, our nurses, our researchers, our patients, and our expansive clinical data so together we can expedite the delivery of new healthcare solutions,” said Aric Bopp, executive director of Discovery Oasis in an article published by Biopharma Dive. “And our location is a strong advantage. Phoenix is strategically positioned to dominate the West Coast of the U.S.”

The Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University will host a MedTech Accelerator 2025 Public Pitch Competition on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at the ASU Health Futures Center in Phoenix. Founders and CEOs from cohort companies will share their MedTech venture in a pitch-style competition. After a Q&A session, a panel of judges will convene to decide on our competition winners. A networking happy hour will immediately follow. Click here for more information.

The Valley of the Sun as a Hub for Life Sciences

When the Mayo Clinic was evaluating where to invest in its next biotechnology innovation hub, its leaders saw the opportunities and advantages that Phoenix offers:

  • Access to land
  • A highly skilled tech talent pool
  • Workforce development support from our economic development leaders
  • A community attractive to new hires open to relocation
  • Ease of travel to nearby major markets such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas
  • World-class healthcare organizations and clinical research organizations
  • An environment focused on fostering rapid business growth

Greater Phoenix is no newcomer to leading the health innovation sector. It is already home to:

The PBC also recently announced the opening of applications for XLR8 PBC, an eight-day intensive eight-day in-person program tailored for scale-ready health tech companies. The program emphasizes finding the right capital at the right time, growth-stage executive matchmaking, and corporate partnerships to validate market fit. Click here to learn more about the application window and to stay informed.

Phoenix By the Numbers

Greater Phoenix is the largest metropolitan region in the Southwestern United States, with nearly 5 million residents. Spreading across Maricopa and Pinal counties with a combined 14,600 square miles, here is Phoenix by the numbers:

Phoenix is also home to more than a half-dozen colleges and universities, including:

The presence of these prestigious institutions has resulted in Scottdale's recognition as the sixth-best college city in the nation, while Tempe ranked eighth and Phoenix ranked eleventh.

Not only is Greater Phoenix home to titans of innovation, research, and education, but Arizona is a leading state for clinical trials, ranking ninth in the U.S. and third in the West. In recent years, the region has made more than $3 billion in strategic investments in its emerging bioscience and healthcare enterprise and research capabilities.

Recognizing Two Leaders in Regional Technology Funding and Advancement 

We are grateful to the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and the Flinn Foundation, our partners and regional collaborators in biotech and healthcare, for their contributions to the sector.

GPEC has been instrumental in positioning Greater Phoenix as a national leader in bioscience and healthcare innovation. Some of its key contributions include:

  • Strategic Investments: GPEC has facilitated over $3 billion in strategic investments in the region's healthcare enterprise and research capabilities.
  • Economic Development Initiatives: GPEC has been involved in various initiatives, such as the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which aims to develop and scale the New Healthcare Innovation Economy in Greater Phoenix
  • Collaborative Networks: GPEC has established a robust network of over 140 healthcare startups and leading research institutions, fostering collaboration and innovation
  • Workforce Development: GPEC has focused on growing the highly educated workforce in the region, resulting in the graduation of nearly 6,000 graduates from related degree programs
  • Industry Growth: The region has seen significant growth in bioscience-related jobs, with a 66% increase since 2015, and as a result, Greater Phoenix now has more than 26,000 such jobs

Flinn Foundation

The Flinn Foundation has also been a driving force behind the growth of Arizona's bioscience sector through various initiatives and funding programs:

  • Arizona Bioscience Roadmap: The Flinn Foundation created the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap, a long-term strategic plan to advance the state's bioscience sector
  • Seed Grants to Promote Translational Research: The Flinn Foundation awards $100,000 seed grants to research teams affiliated with Arizona universities and institutions, helping them advance their projects and achieve positive patient impact
  • Bio Capital Conference: The Flinn Foundation hosts the Bio Capital Conference, bringing together investors, startups, and industry leaders to discuss growth and venture capital in the biosciences
  • Research and Entrepreneurship Support: The Flinn Foundation provides funding and services to Arizona startups, supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the biosciences
  • Progress and Impact: Since 2013, the Flinn Foundation has awarded 83 seed grants totaling about $9.5 million, contributing to developing new products and services that benefit patients

GPEC and the Flinn Foundation have played pivotal roles in fostering a thriving bioscience and healthcare ecosystem in Greater Phoenix, driving economic growth and improving the community's health outcomes.

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