By Catie George, Director, Communications and Storytelling
The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) recently participated in a life sciences panel at the fourth annual Kaufman Economic Summit. The DRC’s Kelly Cloud and Kevin Shatley discussed the Dallas Region’s rising status as a powerhouse for life sciences and biotechnology innovation with Jennifer Dworak, electrical and computer engineering professor at Southern Methodist University.
“There are many key assets here, but because we have so many, people don’t realize that we’re so well suited for them,” said Cloud, the Vice President of Economic Development, Life Sciences. “It’s just taking that regional effort to operate and get all the connectivity and clear lines to the resources.”
The panel discussion focused on the region’s two major recent wins: The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s (ARPA-H) announcement that Texas will be home to the Customer Experience Hub, with the hub site physically located at Dallas’ Pegasus Park, and the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce designating Dallas as a tech hub, the only winning bid in Texas. Specifically, SMU was designated as the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub.
“The reason why we’re able to get the Texas Semiconductor Hub and ARPA-H is that it boils down to continued collaboration, and it’s not just Dallas. It’s the region as a whole,” said Dworak. “It’s connecting throughout the region of different aspects and different resources and having not only our industry diversity but the diversity of our people, of our population, of our expertise, and being willing to lean on each other and engage rather than standing in silos. That’s how we’ve benefited, and I think that’s how we keep getting these wins.”
Cloud’s role as the first industry-specific economic development specialist for the region, developed only last year, is to support the efforts of life sciences and biotech companies to expand to the Dallas Region.
“We are very lucky to land [ARPA-H] here, and we did that through collaboration throughout the state,” said Cloud. “We built a consortium similar to the Texoma Semiconductor Hub and worked throughout the state and nationally to show we understand this is a national program because it will affect the whole nation, and we have stakeholders throughout the nation. It’s very easy when you’re in the center of the United States; with the most direct flights in the country, you can get to either coast in under four hours. Where else are you going to scale something national?”
Collaboration makes the Dallas Region stand out and attracts more life sciences projects like these.
“The correspondence and the connections between biotech and semiconductors strengthen our region. If you look at our tech hub, we are a consortium. We started at this time last year, and we had about 41 members for our initial designation proposal,” said Dworak. “Since then, we’ve continued to grow, and we currently have 58 members. And these go all the way from industry, universities, community colleges, workforce development, economic development, corporations, to city governments. It’s all these different aspects that make our region so strong.”
The DRC works directly with companies, location consultants, and local and state allies to ensure companies and talent enjoy an ecosystem that promotes innovation and helps them grow and prosper, serving as a single point of contact for those examining the Dallas Region.
“Kelly leads the life science industry outreach and support for the DRC, guiding companies through advanced resources and a diverse life science ecosystem in the Dallas Region,” said Shatley, Vice President of Economic Development for the DRC. “In Texas, Kelly collaborates with local, regional, and state economic development partners, life science ecosystem members, and organizations to partner and support life science companies. She is passionate about her mission to help companies and their employees find a home where they can thrive.”
To learn more about the Life Sciences work the DRC is doing, visit our website.