Ohio: Why be Quiet?

‘Quiet giant’ no more.

We’ve talked a lot about how the life sciences industry is growing and changing in Ohio — it was top of mind this past week in Carlsbad, California, at a gene and cell therapy industry summit I attended alongside 2,000 life sciences leaders. I heard consistently in my conversations: “There is a lot going on in Ohio.”

I agree, and while there is momentum, as evidenced by major expansions, groundbreakings and funding announcements in recent months, there is a lot more that we could be doing — and I also found myself answering one question over and over: “Why Ohio?”

The business of growing, keeping, and attracting companies here is more competitive than ever. Dozens of Midwestern cities and states are now positioning themselves as life sciences hubs and investing in innovation districts. So indeed, why Ohio when companies can locate or expand anywhere in the country — anywhere in the world?

For me, it boils down to three simple things — the density of top-ranked research institutions and hospitals, the talent emerging from those institutions, and the agility of our economic development infrastructure led by JobsOhio and our regional economic development groups. This team can quickly build out public-private coalitions of support and investment to create opportunities that other states would take too long to develop. We can and have been creating an environment that supercharges growth.

These assets are worth boasting about — unapologetically — to cut through the noise of our peers. But I’m worried we are limited by our Midwestern modesty and satisfied with this stereotype of being a “hidden gem,” “often overlooked,” and, most recently, a “quiet giant.” R&D World Magazine published a piece on this, calling Ohio “a ‘quiet giant’ of innovation in industrial sectors and life science.” While the magazine pointed to the strategic investments our state has made in our three innovation districts, called out our state’s grants and early-stage funding and some of our global leaders in healthcare and world-class research institutions, I was stewing on the “quiet giant” label. I am uninspired by stories that describe Ohio as an undiscovered gem and exclaim over their discovery of all we have to offer. Surely this is a problem for any region not found on the coasts, whose image around the country ebbs and flows at the whim of writers who find their way here and are, naturally, delighted by what they experience.

Frankly, I think these storylines are harmful, as they perpetuate a narrative that Ohio is not as innovative as other states and that growth cannot happen here at the same pace.

Ohioans have a right — a responsibility, in fact — to be confident. We should claim our successes proudly, naming the things that make our state a great place to live, work and grow, focusing tightly on our accomplishments and celebrating the individuals and institutions that have lit a fire of innovation here.

So “giant” sounds right to me — perhaps more now than ever before. But are we really “quiet?” The commitments our state and federal leaders have made create momentum for future investment and growth, including through recent grants from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and reauthorizing funding for programs like SBIR/STTR.

And in the last month alone, our state has celebrated incredible investments: The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a large grant to the Cleveland Clinic to expand on its work convening researchers studying dementia, and another to Case Western Reserve University and MetroHealth to develop medical devices that will treat paralysis. The Ohio State University announced plans for a new biomedical and materials engineering complex where future engineers will create groundbreaking solutions and will soon be home to the nation’s first science park devoted to space research.

These are the things that create excitement and buzz — and that need to be backed up with continued strategic investments in talent and infrastructure to help ensure a strong life sciences economy in Ohio. They’re also the things that make us an ever-stronger player in the research and innovation space and convince me that we should not be satisfied with the term “quiet giant.”

What do you think? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Eddie Pauline
President & CEO
BioOhio