Phoenix Bioscience Core joins select group of innovation districts around world as it seeks to further efforts to make PBC regional life sciences hub.

PHOENIX (August 25, 2022) — The Phoenix Bioscience Core announced today it will join the Global Network of Innovation Districts, an international organization focused on strengthening innovation districts with the latest insights, resources and a network of specialized team members.

The Global Network was developed by the Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID), which is led by Julie Wagner and affiliated with the Brookings Institute. GIID currently includes 23 innovation districts around the world including UCity Square in Philadelphia; The Ion in Houston; Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Be’er Sheva Innovation District in Israel; and Tech. Central in Sydney, Australia; among others.

The primary goal of GIID and the Global Network is to accelerate the growth of innovation districts through empirical analysis, peer learning, and technical support for implementing new strategies and initiatives in districts and their communities. Through structured engagement led by GIID, the Phoenix Bioscience Core can leverage these insights to better activate our community, network partners and other available resources.

“While the Phoenix Bioscience Core as a place has been around for some time, it is only recently, through commitments from our universities and the city of Phoenix, that the PBC has really begun to focus on placemaking, community building and the establishment of an entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said David Krietor, executive director of the PBC. “We are excited to learn from GIID and the other innovation districts in the Global Network to find ways to offer more value to our anchor institutions and to continue to make Phoenix a more attractive place for life science companies.”

When completed, the PBC will include six million square feet of life science, office and academic space in Downtown Phoenix, including the recently announced UArizona Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies, a 10-story, 500,000-square-feet facility that will sit on the corner of 7th Street and Fillmore and will be home hundreds of new life sciences researchers for the University of Arizona.

Driving Phoenix’s economy forward

An innovation district functions as an economic engine for the community, and as Phoenix continues to grow as a nationwide life science job hub, the Phoenix Bioscience Core sits at the hub of that engine, providing a high-density core for the state’s three public research universities and more than a dozen life science companies to operate.

“We are thrilled for Phoenix Bioscience Core to join the Global Network as it continues to transform itself into a life sciences hub. Innovation districts like the PBC are demonstrating how to create quality of place, equitable growth, and innovation,” said Julie Wagner, President of GIID. “We are dedicated to supporting the PBC and 22 other districts around the world with our cutting-edge research, deep on-the-ground practice, and tailored peer-to-peer learning. Having institutions like ASU, UArizona, TGen and the City of Phoenix committed to the growth of PBC is critical to its success.”

The Global Network began in March 2022 and is focused on maximizing the potential of innovation districts around the world through high-quality research and the sharing of best practices with one another. The network will explore a range of issues including: organized responses to the pandemic and climate change, leveraging unique R&D strengths, and efforts to attract industry and investment. The Network will also share different templates for organizing innovation districts around vital areas such as governance and finance, expanding employment and educational opportunities among disadvantaged populations. It will also look for new ways to create environments where diverse populations can enjoy living, working and playing in a compact setting.

Learn more about the Global Institute on Innovation Districts here.