DEPARTMENT: Economic Development
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Alejandra Lopez
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
Briefing by BioMedSA on the organization’s progress and plans for FY 2021.
SUMMARY:
Heather Hanson, President of BioMed SA, will provide a briefing on BioMed SA’s efforts and accomplishments in 2020, and the organization’s initiatives and opportunities in 2021.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Founded in 2005, San Antonio industry and community leaders formed BioMedSA as a 501(c)(6) entity to build upon the city’s biomedical and healthcare assets and raise the local industry’s profile nationally and internationally. The City, Bexar County, and CPS Energy provided founding grants to establish the organization as a public/private partnership. In 2015, the organization became a 501(c)(3) entity under the BioMedSA name, and continues today as a non-profit, membership-based organization. BioMedSA has over 70 member and partner organizations, including the City, the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF), CPS Energy, leading San Antonio bioscience and healthcare companies, and other private sector companies, organizations, and academic institutions.
At its inception, BioMed SA’s mission was to “organize and promote San Antonio’s healthcare and bioscience assets to accelerate growth of the sector and enhance San Antonio’s reputation as a city of science and health.” The organization later expanded its original mission statement, adding greater emphasis to supporting industry growth and development alongside industry promotion and marketing.
As part of this mission, BioMedSA helps align and leverage San Antonio’s industry assets, convene and connect industry, academic, and military leaders, and identify and mobilize resources. The organization also builds awareness of industry careers, promotes and markets the local industry, and works to further community goals for business attraction, retention, and entrepreneurial development. One of the City’s targeted industries, the bioscience and healthcare services are San Antonio’s largest industry sector, employing nearly 1 in 5 people and contributing an annual impact of over $42 billion.
ISSUE:
BioMedSA continues its commitment to elevating San Antonio’s bioscience and healthcare industry by working with community partners, academic and research organizations, private industry, and healthcare delivery institutions. Below is a summary of the 2020 accomplishments as well as 2021 initiatives.
Industry Action Plan: As part of its charge to support industry growth, BioMedSA completed the development of the “Healthcare & Bioscience Industry Action Plan” (Industry Action Plan) in 2018, which included several action items connected to elevating San Antonio as a premier location to conduct clinical trials. A clinical trial taskforce was established in 2020, which has a vision to provide the most efficient, easy to implement, high quality, cutting edge and accessible clinical trial system in the country to advance the healthcare of San Antonians. This group has benchmarked other regions who have seen significant growth in their clinical trials and will look to apply them in San Antonio.
Advocacy: In 2020 BioMedSA created an advocacy plan and will establish an Advocacy Board in 2021 that will seek growth affecting all four pillars of life science: clinical care, education, research, and industry, including military medicine which spans all four pillars. BioMedSA has put forth three legislative agenda priorities for the Texas Legislative session so far: greater participation of subject matter experts from healthcare and bioscience in state preparedness for medical emergencies, an expansion of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas program for bioscience industry funding inside and outside the realm of cancer, and a statewide program to re-engage students marginalized from the online learning experience. In 2021 BioMedSA will establish a National Leadership Working Group comprised of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas, national society members and invited fellows of national industry organizations who reside in San Antonio. The objective of this group will be to promote awareness of San Antonio at the national level and the impact of academy and invited fellowships at the local level.
Recovery and Resiliency: In support of the COVID-19 Community Recovery and Resiliency Plan, BioMedSA met with over 30 companies in 2020 to inquire about corporate needs and facilitate solutions. Detailed information and a summary of industry insights were provided to SAEDF to inform the Train for Jobs SA program. In 2021 BioMedSA will create a workforce group with possible programs including engaging with K-12 students about career options and generating interest in life science careers, developing a program to assist companies recruiting out-of-town talent, and implementing a scholarship program for under privileged students who have a life science focus.
In 2020, BioMedSA created a contact database, which BioMedSA shared with VelocityTX for their BioConnectTX asset map. Additionally, BioMedSA created new branding, a revamped website, a detailed monthly newsletter, a LinkedIn page, and a YouTube channel. The revamped website hosts a job board, local events, news, funding opportunities, and a section on military medicine in San Antonio. In 2021 BioMedSA will be redesigning its marketing collateral on the targeted disease areas, membership, drug development and manufacturing, and biologics.
In 2021 BioMedSA will be partnering with SAEDF to proactively target recruitments likely to relocate and promote San Antonio, by providing the industry and technology insight specific to the healthcare and bioscience sector. BioMedSA will continue to collaborate with community partners on recruitment opportunities, workforce development, business retention, strategic planning initiatives and entrepreneurial development.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.