The Road to Regaining Dominance

View the 2009 Minnesota Biosciences Industry Directory

Minnesota’s economy—and identity—have been linked for decades to the strength of its life science community, from groundbreaking research at the University of Minnesota to global Fortune 500 companies like Medtronic and General Mills.

But the state is losing its competitive edge, and staying above average is going to require targeted planning and investment in key areas, according to a recent report by the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota and Deloitte Consulting.

“Destination 2025 Roadmap: Recommendations To Grow Minnesota’s Life Science Industry” is a 20-year strategic plan based on input from more than 600 public, private and academic experts.

The environment that enabled food and medical device industries to flourish is no longer as favorable. One reason, the report claims, is that the public, private, and academic sectors have drifted apart at a time when partnerships are critical.

From reinvesting in medical technology research to studying the state’s biomass supply, the report offers a series of recommendations to point Minnesota’s bioscience industries in the right direction.

Re-establishing Device Dominance

Minnesota pioneered the world of pacemakers and has dominated the cardiovascular device market for decades. But the days of coasting on those old accomplishments are coming to a close. As the cardiovascular device market matures, growth is slowing, according to the report.

Minnesota’s medical technology community needs to take the technology behind those devices and develop new applications for it, the report recommends. Examples include pain, movement, and depression treatments already being developed using parts from the pacemaker.

The problem is that even though Minnesota companies are behind many breakthroughs in these areas, much of the work is being done elsewhere because companies tend to follow the research, says Dale Wahlstrom, CEO of the BioBusiness Alliance. “If you have a professor who is doing the leading-edge research in the world, you have to go to that person.” The result is that Minnesota is missing out on the economic impact of those technologies.

The University of Minnesota is no longer a leader in medical device research, Wahlstrom says, and the report indicates that the university “must re-establish its premier status among universities by supporting research relevant to the medical device industry.” An asterisk to that critique: The report says the newly formed University of Minnesota Medical Devices Center is a positive step in the right direction, one that deserves more funding and support.