Growing, technically skilled workforce including strong growth in related occupations, such as biochemists, microbiologists, chemists, lab technicians and computer engineers. Local colleges and universities offer an array of relevant degree programs, such as the College of Charleston’s new interdisciplinary program in discovery informatics, the first undergraduate program of its kind in the country.

Industry-specific incentives designed to foster the growth of the life sciences sector in South Carolina, including:

• An eligibility category for relevant facilities engaged in manufacturing, processing and R&D (NAICS codes 3254 and 334516).
• An enhanced Jobs Development Credit, which allows approved bioscience facilities to capture cash rebates for eligible expenditures.
• The ability to negotiate the apportionment formula used to calculate corporate income tax liability.
• Equipment depreciations at an accelerated rate of 20%, instead of the previous 11%.

More information on taxes and incentives.

Competitive wage structure. The chart below provides wages typically associated with the biosciences sector, or visit our data center to access a more comprehensive list of average wages by occupation (BLS data). For a local wage & benefit survey - broken down by industry sector and company size - contact Heyward Horton at the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Biosciences Cluster, Selected Occupations

Occupation Code	Occupation Title	2006 Avg. Hourly Wage	2006 Median Hourly Wage
15-1031	Computer software engineers, applications	$32.50	$31.13
17-2041	Chemical Engineers	$37.97	$37.38
19-2031	Chemists	$27.70	$26.06
19-4021	Biological technicians	$17.15	$16.91
19-4031	Chemical technicians	$20.65	$20.16
29-2011	Medical and Clinical Technologists	$20.75	$19.67
51-9011	Chemical equipment operators and tenders	$20.42	$22.24
51-9012	Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators and tenders	$18.57	$17.82
51-9023	Mixing and blending machine setters, operators and tenders	$14.52	$13.59
51-9061	Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers	$15.40	$14.11
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2006 survey, 9/07

South Carolina is a right-to-work state. In 2006, just 1.1% of private workers in the Charleston metro area were members of an organized union, well below the national average of 12%.

Reliable, low cost energy with the state’s industrial electricity averaging 24% below the national average. The Charleston region is served by two generating electric utilities (Santee Cooper and SCANA/SCE&G) with a combined capacity of 10,275 megawatts, plus two electric cooperatives (Berkeley Electric and Edisto Electric).

Greater Charleston is also part of the South Carolina transmission grid, which is served by four generating utilities with a combined capacity of 19,721 megawatts. For natural gas transmission and distribution, the region is served by Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation, a subsidiary of SCANA Corporation.

University-Driven Research, with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) anchoring Charleston’s health sciences sector:

• Research funding grew to more than $190 million for fiscal 2006.
• Dedicated research centers include a nationally recognized Cancer Research Center, a National Proteomics Research Center and a Marine Biomedicine Research Center.
• Drug development strengths include those for oncology, stroke and neurodegenerative disease, plus vaccines and broad proteomics research.

MUSC is a critical element of South Carolina's comprehensive research university network, which also includes Clemson University and the University of South Carolina (USC).

Health Sciences South Carolina is a collaborative network joining medical organizations and colleges/universities from across the state to provide a structure and vehicle for medical research, including clinical trials. Current members include the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and three major healthcare systems: Greenville Hospital System, Palmetto Health and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.

South Carolina Research Centers of Excellence unite the state’s three research universities on collaborative research projects. Current focus areas include:

Marine Genomics Neurosciences Vision Science Translational Cancer Therapeutics Brain Imaging Cancer Drug Discovery Healthcare Quality Stroke Tobacco-Related Malignancy Research

Nanostructures Proteomics Clinical Effectiveness & Patient Safety Regenerative Medicine Gastrointestinal Cancer Diagnostics Translated Cancer Therapeutics Molecular Proteomics in CV Disease & Prevention Childhood Neurotherapeutics

Marine Biomedicine & Environmental Sciences with five collaborating organizations occupying the Hollings Marine Laboratory, one of three NOAA "Centers of Excellence" in the agency's Ocean and Human Health Initiative. The lab houses 100+ researchers, fellows, students and staff focused in an interdisciplinary fashion on the reciprocal relationships between organisms and their marine environment, with applications for aquaculture and human health and disease.

The five member institutions are:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• MUSC's Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center
• Grice Marine Lab of the College of Charleston

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's South Atlantic Area research laboratory conducts research to improve genetic populations of vegetable crops and to develop knowledge on disease and pest biology, ecology and epidemiology.

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SNL), a key Department of Energy industrial complex, is home to bio-environmental engineering and has extensive experience in the characterization, development and deployment of bioremediation processes for a wide variety of contaminants that regularly plague the natural environment.

The South Carolina Research Authority is a non-profit contract R&D organization established to grow South Carolina’s knowledge economy. In partnership with the state’s three research universities, SCRA has established a network of Innovation Centers and Launch Zones to assist start-up and existing businesses with commercializing new technologies. Through these Innovation Centers, qualifying companies are eligible for equity financing of up to $200,000.

AAIPharma
Global provider of product development and support services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company’s Charleston operation provides contract manufacturing of sterile drug products for clinical trials and commercial distribution upon approval.

Argolyn Bioscience
Biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel peptide drug candidates to treat psychosis, pain and other serious diseases and disorders.

ArborGen
Forestry biotechnology company developing and commercializing technology, products and services to advance sustainable forestry through applied genetics & enhanced trait technology.

Belimed USA
US headquarters for global leader in infection control technology for hospitals, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Berchtold Corporation
Develops, manufactures and distributes state-of-the-art, integrated surgical suites. The company’s Charleston area operation also serves as the company’s North American headquarters.

Cell & Tissues Systems
FDA-approved, ultra-portable kidney transport and perfusion system; also developing perfusion materials & carrier systems for preserving other types of donor organs.

Charles River Laboratories - Endosafe Division
Technical services laboratory offering Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) reagents and accessory products to help improve the compliance and efficiency of endotoxin detection programs.

C.R. Bard
Leading multinational developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative, life-enhancing medical technologies in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology and surgical specialty products. The Charleston-area division manufactures Foley catheters.

CureSource, Inc.
Umbilical cord blood stem cell banking company developing stem cell technology and offering umbilical cord blood storage, collection and stem cell preservation.

FirstString Research
Developing accelerated wound healing technology through a bioengineered peptide that promotes tissue regeneration and significantly reduces scarring.

Getinge Castle
Distributor of surgical equipment and services to healthcare and scientific markets.

GenPhar
Biopharmaceutical company developing and producing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to protect against the world’s most dangerous diseases. The company's products are divided into two main areas: vaccines for biodefense and vaccines for chronic infectious diseases (including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C).

Hill-Rom Clinical Division
Develops and manufactures therapeutic equipment, including the V-Cue® Dynamic Air Therapy® unit, and the Clinitron At-Home® Fluidized Therapy unit.

JSJ Pharmaceuticals
Specialty pharmaceutical company that identifies and brings to market topical dermatology products.

Nanoscreen, LLC
Manufacturers and delivers a complete line of pipette tips for robotic equipment used in pharmaceutical research.

Neurological Testing Services (NTS)
Investigates pharmaceutical compounds in models associated with neurodegenerative diseases that include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and epilepsy.

Piedmont Medical Group
Multi-specialty research center conducting Phase II, III and IV clinical trials in a wide range of therapeutic areas including urology, cardiovascular, neurology, psychiatric, oncology, etc.

Raisio Life Sciences
A pioneer in the functional food industry, producing plant stanol ester – the cholesterol-lowering ingredient in Benecol foods.

Sabal Medical
Provides bedside mobile automation technology to improve the safety and efficiency of medication administration for hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Scienceuticals
Provides custom development, formulation, manufacturing and distribution services to the global cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Varian-Interay
Manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer with radiotherapy and neurological conditions with radiosurgery. The Charleston area division manufacturers Fluoroscopic X-ray apparatus and tubes.