Erie County Times

Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced that ElevateBio will be investing in its first operation in Pennsylvania with the University of Pittsburgh—a move that will create 172 new, six-figure jobs in the city of Pittsburgh.

This will be a build-out of an ElevateBio BaseCamp biomanufacturing facility, an Aug. 25 press release from the governor’s office said. The facility will be located in the Pitt BioForge Biomanufacturing Center at Hazelwood Green. ElevateBio is a technology-driven company that focuses on powering transformative cell and gene therapies.

“When I first took office, I promised to support Pennsylvanians with a strong business economy by creating and retaining good jobs that pay well,” Wolf said in the release. “This investment in ElevateBio is just the latest fulfillment of that promise. I’m thrilled to welcome ElevateBio to the commonwealth, where they’re joining a $50 billion life sciences ecosystem.”

The funding proposal came from the Governor’s Action Team (GAT) for $860,000 through a Pennsylvania First grant. ElevateBio has also been encouraged to apply for the Manufacturing Tax Credit, the Research and Development Tax Credit and the Enterprise Zone Tax Credit programs. Through GAT, Wolf has invested a total of nearly $17.8 billion over seven years and partnered with approximately 430 companies. This has led to creating and retaining more than 191,000 jobs.

The company will be making major investments in the build-out operations that include $35 million in capital expenditures. There will also be training of the 172 new full-time workers who will be paid more than $105,000 annually within five years of the beginning of construction.

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania is home to a $50 billion life sciences ecosystem that is driven by world-class research-and-development institutions and top universities like the University of Pittsburgh.

“ElevateBio’s mission is to enable the entire cell and gene therapy industry to accelerate the development of life-saving therapies for many decades to come,” David Hallal, chairman and chief executive officer of ElevateBio, said in the release. “We thank Gov. Wolf for his support and are excited that Pittsburgh will be home to one of our BaseCamp facilities so that we can enable greater access to our next-generation enabling technologies and end-to-end capabilities for local, national, and global scientific innovators.”

The plan is for the University of Pittsburgh to finance the build-out of what will be an 80,000-square-foot BaseCamp biomanufacturing facility. ElevateBio is committing to a long-term lease with extensions. Construction is to start in 2023 and is estimated to take three to four years to complete.

“Western Pennsylvania is on course to become a leader in both driving and commercializing life sciences discoveries, and we have taken one giant leap forward in realizing this vision today,” Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said in the release. “The University of Pittsburgh is honored to partner with ElevateBio and the commonwealth on this journey, which will see us leveraging lessons from the lab – in new and exciting ways – for the benefit of the region, research and humankind.”

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald expressed his excitement in welcoming ElevateBio to the region. He noted that he is proud of the city of Pittsburgh’s ability to attract life science companies, adding that the city is fortunate to have the University of Pittsburgh and its medical school as a means of attraction.

“Along with this region’s quality of life and investment in innovation, we continue to see businesses choosing Pittsburgh and providing great career opportunities for talent to fill jobs across the ecosystem’s pipeline,” Fitzgerald said in the release. “We look forward to all that ElevateBio will do here.”

Mark Anthony Thomas, president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, called Pittsburgh a “mecca” for innovation in various industries and a top spot for the life sciences field.

“Pittsburgh is where what’s next is happening now...,” he said in the release. “We’re thrilled to welcome ElevateBio to the region – a landmark investment at the convergence of R&D, life sciences and biotech manufacturing. ElevateBio will be a major anchor at Hazelwood Green. This cutting-edge development is rapidly becoming home to companies and other organizations driving innovation in AI and robotics; high-value, deep-tech enabled manufacturing; and life sciences. Every one of these is shaping the future for not only this region, but for the world, and it’s remarkable to say that’s happening here in Pittsburgh.”