How broad is the California Life Sciences Association’s representation of the industry?

CLSA serves as the statewide trade association for California’s life sciences industry. Our 40-year legacy and ongoing mission is to work closely with industry, government, academia and others to shape public policy, improve access to innovative technologies and grow California’s life sciences economy. With nearly 1,000 members, our association represents hundreds of life sciences firms across the state that range from small organizations to large multinationals, spanning various applications of life sciences, such as health, industrial, environmental, food and agriculture, device companies, diagnostics, biotechs, and pharmaceuticals. We have our headquarters in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, plus five staff on the ground in Sacramento, three in Washington DC and an office in Los Angeles. Our association membership reflects the power and diversity of California’s life sciences sector.

In terms of representation of the sector, CLSA is somewhat unusual due to its coverage of a wide range of commercial companies, from biotech companies through to diagnostics and medical devices, also spanning academic and research organizations, professional service firms and other organizations that support the sector.

What is the extent of support offered by CLSA to California’s life sciences industry?

CLSA undertakes a wide variety of activities. One of these is advocacy work, lobbying at the federal, California state and local levels to improve the public policy climate for the life sciences sector.  At the federal level, California has the largest delegation in Congress. The 55-person Congressional delegation is not only large but also well placed in Congress, with powerful members on the key committees of jurisdiction. The work that we do at the federal level is really critical for our companies. Additionally, like any state association, we have a special responsibility to shape the climate for innovation and research in our state capital, Sacramento.

The second bucket of activities is supporting the life sciences ecosystem through what could broadly be called business support and development activities. We bring the life sciences sector together by providing educational events and offering advising networks; we also set up partnering meetings for large and small companies to meet with each other and do business. CLSA members enjoy a wide range of benefits such as group purchasing savings via our Business Solutions program. This allows discounted access to lab supplies, office supplies, shipping and more. CLSA also has a full health benefits program that all member companies can take advantage of. Known as the CLSA Benefits Advantage Trust, we provide members with premium medical, dental and vision health plans and associated services at low costs. We also champion opportunities for sources of capital and entrepreneurial support programs – all in addition to our federal, state and local advocacy offerings.

The third bucket of activities comes from our partner organization known as the California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI). We are closely intertwined and very much aligned with CLSI in supporting the life sciences sector. The institute works in three key areas. One is in career development, which includes workforce and talent pipeline issues, and another is STEM education programs. The institute also plays a key role in supporting entrepreneurs with programs that help them learn how to set up a business and access the expertise that they need to grow.

What are the contributing factors to the success of the hub and what makes the area so attractive for investment?

We break down the success factors of California’s life sciences activity into three major areas. The first is the presence of world-class universities, and the ground-breaking life sciences research they produce. The fact that so many of the California’s universities and academic institutions are in the top 11 globally is envied the world over. This academic presence in California is critical due to the basic research that can be translated into the commercial sector. Those institutions are also providing the talent that can then move into companies and move projects forward.

The second very important part of the ecosystem is the venture capital community, which is able to take the risk necessary to move forward innovation in the life sciences. Novel drug development is a lengthy, expensive and extremely risky process. Along with providing the capital itself, California’s seasoned venture capitalists also know what it takes to develop a drug, diagnostic or a device. California really shines in this regard. CLSA’s 2018 California Life Sciences Industry Report shows that California continues to outpace other states in life science-related economic growth, including venture funding, National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, digital health venture funding, and is producing nearly 300,000 jobs and shepherding more than a thousand new therapies through the pipeline.

With an increasing application of advanced technologies to healthcare, is California likely to be at an advantage?

California is not only the most established life sciences sector, but also has an extraordinary tech sector. Major tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and Fitbit are really looking at how they can make alliances in the healthcare space. Some are looking at new apps and others are looking at patient monitoring or consumer-facing ways to improve health or monitor how patients take drugs. Our nexus with the tech sector is definitely an influencing factor in driving larger companies to increase their presence here in California.

Going forward, what are the objectives for CLSA itself?

Our overarching mission will always be the same: to advance the life sciences in California. Over the next couple of years, we really want to focus on improving our relationships with the smallest companies, which sometimes are not aware of the resources we can offer to help them move forward with their ideas.

On the public policy front, the big debate is really around how the nation values innovative research and what policies will be in place to make sure that the innovation continues. Policy proposals will likely be directed towards limiting the freedom of commercial companies and their ability to innovate; this is something we are concerned about and will certainly be a priority in our policy agenda. While we can proudly say the life sciences ecosystem is healthy, there is always room for improvement. CLSA works closely with industry, advocacy organizations, regulatory agencies, legislators and many others to make the system better. This spirit of collaboration is a major contributor to California’s success.