decade ago, few observers would have predicted Kansas would be the next big thing in bioscience industry development.
   So much for predictions.
   Ten years and some monumental legislation later, Kansas finds itself on the front line of the bioscience revolution. Through progressive policymaking, innovative leadership and old-fashioned collaboration, the state has become a recognized leader in the biosciences, with particular strengths in pharmaceuticals, plant science, human health, animal science and alternative energy. R&D capacity is increasing, capital is being raised and spinouts are spinning out. Meanwhile, the state continues to lure early-stage companies and established firms from throughout the nation and the world – companies that could go anywhere but see Kansas as the best fit.
   "It's amazing how far we've come in just a few years," said Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. "Once we decided the biosciences were the wave of the future, there was no looking back. The commitment has been remarkable."
   Remarkable and unprecedented. The state's involvement in the biosciences began in 2004 with the Kansas Economic Growth Act and its component Kansas Bioscience Initiative. Overwhelmingly passed by the Kansas Legislature, the Economic Growth Act gave policymakers and business leaders the tools to strengthen Kansas' bioscience infrastructure and support the state's life science companies.
   Among those tools was the Kansas Bioscience Authority, an independent entity created to develop the research-to-commercialization continuum, recruit scholars, fund lab space and equipment, drive technology transfer and foster commercialization. While other states have established similar entities, most pale in comparison to the Authority's broad range of responsibilities.
   "The Bioscience Initiative and the creation of the Kansas Bioscience Authority was our shot heard 'round the world," said Tom Thornton, President and CEO of the Bioscience Authority. "It was our way of telling the industry that we were a real player in the biosciences."
   Looking for the perfect place to grow your bioscience company? Then Kansas is where you need to be.    Kansas companies have ties with some of the world's leading bioscience research universities, including the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Wichita State University.    Kansas boasts one of the most educated work forces in the nation, a direct result of its having one of the nation's premier education systems. Kansas ranks in the top third nationally for percent of adults with a college degree, average ACT score, pupil-to-teacher ratio and students per computer.    Kansas offers one of the nation's most generous portfolios of economic incentives to bioscience companies considering a move to (or expansion in) Kansas. Benefits include:
   • angel investor tax credits
   • income and premium tax credits for new job creation
   • sales tax exemptions on the purchase of construction labor and materials and facility machinery and equipment
   • property tax abatements
   • industrial revenue bonds
   • federal Community Development Block Grants for projects in non-metro areas
   • forgivable loans for project-related costs    Kansas is home to a number of the world's leading bioscience companies, including:
   • Bayer CropScience
   • Caravan Ingredients
   • Cargill
   • Hill's Pet Nutrition
   • ICM, Inc.
   • MGP Ingredients
   • PRA International
   • Quintiles    Kansas is located within the globally recognized Animal Health Corridor, which spans from Central Kansas into Missouri and comprises the largest single concentration of animal health and nutrition interests in the world. The Corridor is home to 37 global or U.S. headquarters and has more than 125 total companies, including Bayer HealthCare and Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Intervet and Hill's Pet Nutrition. This list represents four of the 10 largest global animal health interests, one of the five largest pet food companies and the world's largest animal health generics manufacturer.    The Department of Homeland Security recently named Kansas a finalist for the soon-to-be-commissioned National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. If awarded to Kansas, the facility would bring as many as 500 new bioscience jobs to the state, making it one of the most concentrated areas of bioscience talent in the nation.    Kansas created some of the most innovative entrepreneur-focused programs and alliances in the nation, including the KTEC PIPELINE, which identifies talented entrepreneurs in the biosciences and sponsors them through a year of educational, mentoring and networking opportunities. Kansas bioscience leaders have also created Heartland BioVentures, an organization devoted specifically to the formation of startups that are commercializing innovations from research institutions across Kansas and within the Kansas City region. This independent organization will emphasize business formation and acceleration to grow bioscience companies and help them raise capital.    Kansas boasts a central location and access to interstate rail, trucking and air corridors that put the state's businesses within next-day freight service of nearly 70 percent of the United States. Kansas maintains the third-best state-owned road and highway system in the nation and access to Kansas City, the nation's second-leading rail center.