|
The Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy/Technology
Administration (OTP/TA) and the Office of Strategic Industries
and Economic Security, Bureau of Industry and Security (OSIES/BIS)
today released a ground-breaking report, A Survey of the Use of
Biotechnology in U.S. Industry. This report presents analysis
of data collected in the first comprehensive federal survey of
U.S. firms' biotechnology-related business activities and is an
important step in assembling comprehensive data on industries
that develop or adopt biotechnology products or processes.
"This report confirms that biotechnology is one of the most dynamic
and innovative sectors of our economy. It also highlights the
diversity of biotechnology companies that significant contributions
are being made by small, R&D-intensive biotechnology firms
as well as large, diversified companies," said Under Secretary
of Commerce for Technology Phil Bond. "This report, one of many
Commerce Department initiatives that support the competitiveness
of U.S. biotech firms, advances our understanding of this critical
technology."
The survey, commenced in August 2002, was mailed to nearly 3,200
companies. It represents the culmination of more than two years
of discussion with biotechnology firms, the Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO, the largest biotechnology organization in the
U.S., representing over one thousand companies), academia, state
agencies and governments, and numerous federal agencies.
Survey results confirm that biotechnology activity is a strong
innovative engine in the U.S. economy:
- Economic performance: Biotechnology business lines demonstrated
higher rates of growth, and capital and R&D intensity (the
ratio of capital or R&D expenditures to net sales) than
did respondents' overall businesses. For example, in 2001 and
2002 growth for biotechnology net sales averaged just over 10%,
while total net sales for these firms rose at an average annual
rate of about 6%.
- R&D spending: In 2001, reported biotechnology-related
R&D expenditures amounted to $16.4 billion, or approximately
10% of all R&D conducted by U.S. industry that year. R&D
intensity for biotech business lines was 33.4% that year, compared
to 4.3% for all business lines within those same companies.
- Innovation: In the last quarter of 2002, companies reported
32,304 pending patent applications for biotechnology products
or processes, compared to 23,380 granted patents in companies'
current portfolios.
- Workforce growth: Biotechnology companies providing data for
2000-2002 averaged 12.3% annual workforce growth, with the largest
increases in smaller firms (those with 50-499 employees). During
the same period, growth in non-farm payroll employment in the
U.S. was essentially flat.
- Business investment: During 2001, survey respondents invested
about twice as much in biotechnology-related lines of business
as in their businesses as a whole. For example, capital expenditures
represented 12.4% of total net sales for respondents' biotech
business lines, compared to 5.2% for all business operations.
The survey results will assist U.S. policymakers in assessing
the health of the biotechnology industry and identifying the most
significant barriers to industry competitiveness (such as research
costs and access to start-up capital).
The report is available for download on the Web site of the Commerce
Department's Technology Administration, www.technology.gov/reports
(PDF).
###
|