Insights From Mayor Kate Gallego’s State of the City Address

Phoenix is strengthening its position as a national hub for bioscience, healthcare innovation, and advanced technology, fueled by major investments, strong cross-sector collaboration, and a focus on improving lives across the region.

In her nearly 40 minute address, Mayor Kate Gallego highlighted the city’s expanding bioscience ecosystem.

“Phoenix’s targeted investments have led to enormous growth in the biosciences and advanced semiconductor manufacturing — and I want to make sure that our city, our region and our state lead the economy of the future,” Gallego said. 

The city is already delivering meaningful results for families while building a foundation for long-term economic growth and medical breakthroughs.

Phoenix is gaining national visibility by hosting major events such as the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four, the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit, which will remain in Phoenix for the next three years. Together, these events further position Phoenix as a leading destination for innovation, entrepreneurship, and global collaboration.

Historic Investment

In a landmark move, Phoenix approved a $50 million investment in ASU Health, the largest bioscience investment in the city’s history. The funding comes from the newly renamed Sports Facilities, Biosciences, and Tourism Fund, reflecting a strategic shift to prioritize life sciences alongside traditional economic drivers.

ASU Health is designed to integrate medicine and engineering—an approach expected to transform healthcare delivery and accelerate innovation. In partnership with city leadership, the initiative will focus on priority areas, including:

• Urban public health resilience, understanding the intersection of heat, homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse
• Occupational health, particularly cancer risks among our city’s firefighters
• Women’s health, addressing long-standing research and design gaps

A 2-Decade Commitment

Phoenix’s bioscience momentum builds on more than 20 years of collaboration among public, academic, and private partners. The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix has played a central role in the bioscience community with a partnership with Banner Health, generating a $59 billion community impact and training nearly 2,000 doctors.

Expansion continues with the new University of Arizona Medical Innovations Building, while researchers are advancing breakthroughs in areas such as type 1 diabetes through innovative stem cell therapies. Then, housed at 850 PBC Institutions, such as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, are further anchoring the city’s research capabilities with type 2 diabetes research.

Industry + Global Partnerships

Phoenix is attracting leading bioscience and healthcare companies:

• Caris Life Sciences is expanding its footprint, leveraging the world’s highest genome sequencing capacity to enable personalized cancer treatment. 
• Taiwan’s JelloX Biotech is collaborating with Mayo Clinic at Discovery Oasis to deploy AI-powered 3D pathology for earlier cancer detection.
• ROIS is investing $100 million in Phoenix to manufacture advanced biologics, including therapies that may reduce chemotherapy side effects such as hair loss.

International partnerships are also expanding through TSMC, whose $165 billion investment is anchoring semiconductor and AI innovation in Phoenix. 

Economic Momentum + Growth

Phoenix’s strategic investments are driving measurable economic gains:

• Bioscience jobs up 39% over the past decade
• Semiconductor jobs up 31%
• Ranked among the top U.S. cities for GDP growth alongside Seattle, San Jose, and San Francisco

Mayor Kate Gallego continues to underscore the importance of collaboration and forward-thinking leadership in advancing bioscience research and healthcare delivery by investing in infrastructure, sustainability, and community well-being. 

The result is clear: Phoenix is not just preparing for the future of bioscience and innovation, it is actively shaping it.

Watch Mayor Kate Gallego’s State of the City Address Here

By: Madisson Simental | April 23, 2026