Leaders Discuss the Ripple Effect of $291B Onshore Biomanufacturing Commitments

BioBuzz hosted the fourth stop of its Philadelphia BioInnovation Series, marking a significant milestone as the event ventured outside the familiar confines of University City for the first time. The series landed in Conshohocken, welcomed into the impressive offices of CRB’s Philadelphia team. The setting proved to be an ideal backdrop for a timely and critical theme: Onshore Manufacturing: Getting Ahead of the Surge!

In front of a packed house of life science leaders, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem builders, an expert panel explored the seismic shifts happening across the pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing landscape. The discussion illuminated not only the strategic drivers of this onshoring movement—speed, security, and proximity to patients—but also what it means for the future of Greater Philadelphia as the region positions itself within an increasingly competitive national biomanufacturing ecosystem. The energy in the room and the candid perspectives shared onstage truly captured the spirit of BioBuzz: fostering connections, driving real conversations, and building momentum for the industry's next chapter.

A Tsunami of Investment and Its Ripple Effects

The evening kicked off with a data-driven presentation by Jim Daly of CRB, who framed the night’s conversation with both clarity and urgency. Drawing from CRB’s latest market analysis, Daly revealed a staggering figure: more than $291 billion in pledged investments from leading biopharma companies aimed at expanding and modernizing manufacturing infrastructure across the United States. This isn’t just an impressive number; it’s transformative.

These investments, Daly explained, reflect years of long-term planning, strategic alignment, and an industry-wide recognition that onshoring, scalability, and speed-to-market are no longer optional—they’re essential. Giants like Johnson & Johnson ($55B), Bristol Myers Squibb ($40B), and Roche/Genentech ($50B) are committing at unprecedented levels to future-proof their operations and bolster supply chain resilience. They are joined by other significant players such as Eli Lilly ($27B), Takeda ($30B), Novartis ($23B), and Gilead ($11B), further underscoring that this is not a transient trend, but a full-scale reimagining of the U.S. biomanufacturing landscape.

"Assuming that this sort of all sort of follows a path and nominally moves forward," Daly stated, "there's going to be a lot of manufacturing happening in this country." He then immediately highlighted potential pitfalls: "One of the things that is probably... a big theme is that there's going to be a lot of uncertainty and potential volatility in just delivering and executing these projects."

CRB’s analysis delivered more than just a snapshot of capital allocation—it served as a powerful call to action. It signaled the arrival of a new industrial era for life sciences in America, defined by innovation, patient proximity, national security and an urgent need to cultivate a future-ready, skilled biomanufacturing workforce. As the panel discussion unfolded, this $291 billion backdrop served not only as context but as a powerful reminder of the immense stakes—and the profound opportunities—for Greater Philadelphia and similar regions to lead, partner, and build what’s next.

Industry Leaders Weigh In on the Future of the U.S.’s Biomanufacturing Sector

Jamie Hagarty of CRB, serving as an engaging and insightful moderator, brought both energy and expertise to the dynamic panel discussion. With a blend of humor and precision, Hagarty navigated the conversation alongside her CRB colleague Jim Daly, a panelist eliciting practical, real-world perspectives from across the biomanufacturing ecosystem, with a particular focus on site selection, facility design, and engineering strategy.

Other esteemed panel featured:

• Jason Rascoe, Managing Director at Beacon Capital Partners, a leading life science real estate developer and owner of Spring House Innovation Park in the Greater Philadelphia area.  The innovation park recently signed a 48k lease with Nucleus RadioPharma, a leading Radiopharma CDMO. Roscoe provided a valuable lens on the evolving infrastructure demands of biomanufacturing and how real estate investment is aligning with the rapid pace of industry growth.

• Nick Casale, Vice President of Global Facilities and Corporate Engineering at Ultragenyx, a prominent rare disease and gene therapy company. Casale, with his extensive background spanning large pharmaceutical and biotech organizations, highlighted the importance of internal manufacturing capabilities and the strategic decisions driving where and how advanced therapies are produced.

• Gerry Farrell, PhD, Executive Advisor at Kymanox, whose significant career at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies provided critical insight into the challenges and opportunities facing contract manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) in today’s complex therapeutic environment.

Together, the panel delivered a rich and grounded dialogue on the forces shaping the next phase of U.S. biomanufacturing—from workforce and facility strategy to innovation, investment, and the operational demands of scaling science. Their insights, framed by CRB’s opening investment analysis, offered attendees a deeper understanding of what it will take to transform capital commitment into lasting impact.

Onshoring, Site Selection, and the Changing Geography of Innovation

A major topic centered on site selection, with panelists discussing why suburban locations—offering access to transportation corridors, available real estate, and a strong regional talent base—are increasingly becoming ideal for new manufacturing builds. As Jason Roscoe explained, “It’s what everybody cares about—real estate, and what’s around it. There are a bunch of people who work there, and they want to be near nice things.” He also highlighted the difficulty of finding appropriate zoning: “Having manufacturing zoning in the community you want to be in is pretty hard to come by.”

Beyond location, state-level incentives are playing an increasingly critical role in attracting capital investment for facilities. While Pennsylvania’s recently updated strategy to stimulate biomanufacturing growth was acknowledged, it also drew scrutiny. Gerry Farrell, PhD, noted the common incentives: “It’s typically tax abatements—sales tax, property tax abatements spread out over years. Rent support, funding for facilities, donation of land to build a facility, streamlined permitting processes, and workforce support.” However, several panelists warned that the Commonwealth is still losing opportunities to regions like Boston, North Carolina, and even Ohio, where explosive investment and workforce mobilization have created strong gravitational pulls for manufacturing projects. Jim Daly lamented Pennsylvania’s historical “peanut butter sort of approach,” which fails to target specific industries like life sciences. The message was clear: Pennsylvania has the essential ingredients but needs to push harder and act faster to capitalize on this wave of investment.

Despite these hurdles, Pennsylvania’s deep history and robust academic and research ecosystem remain significant assets. Jim Daly proudly declared himself a “cheerleader for this region,” highlighting the presence of major pharmaceutical research facilities, vaccine manufacturing, and groundbreaking gene therapy work. He emphasized the unique combination of top-tier research in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with widespread manufacturing capabilities across the state, noting: “If you look across the country and ask, ‘Where does this cumulative combination of R&D through to commercial manufacturing reside?’—it doesn’t happen in too many places like it does in Pennsylvania.”

The Workforce Dilemma Meets Automation and Innovation

Unsurprisingly, the conversation inevitably turned toward what may be the biggest bottleneck of all—the workforce. Nick Casale called it "probably the single biggest challenge ahead of us," extending beyond construction to the long-term operation and maintenance of these new facilities. He shared his experience of hiring and training 1,200 people for an autologous cell therapy site, underscoring the immense pressure and rapid timeline involved.

Speakers emphasized the importance of developing local talent pipelines, partnering with universities and training centers including community colleges. Gerry Farrell, PhD, shared how his previous company successfully attracted and retained staff by engaging with high schools and technical programs, developing apprenticeship opportunities, and fostering loyalty through a patient-focused mission: "You know, what we're doing is, you know, you're impacting people's lives with the job you're doing."

Jason, a developer, highlighted the importance of "attractive amenities and campus environments" in drawing talent, especially for smaller companies. Chris Frew of BioBuzz Networks and Workforce Genetics, emphasized the value of internal upskilling and career progression as a powerful retention tool. "People don't want to leave jobs," Frew stated, "they mostly leave jobs... because their boss sucks or they're overworked."

Solutions discussed included:

• Automation as a workforce multiplier, enabling leaner operations with greater precision. Nick Casale noted, "Robots are great with that [minimizing variation]."

• Future-forward facility design that reduces manual burden and facilitates scalability with fewer personnel.

• Upskilling and workforce pipelines being developed in partnership with local colleges and community organizations.

For both senior leadership and technical operations teams, companies were strongly encouraged to think proactively, invest in thorough planning now, and ensure that talent strategy is given the same priority as capital investment and site development. As Jamie Hagarty reiterated, "The biggest piece of advice we can give is it's never too early to plan."

The Future of Onshoring: Automation and Beyond

Looking ahead, the panel pondered the extent to which onshoring will bring back all types of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Gerry Farrell, PhD, expressed skepticism about the return of API and small molecule manufacturing in large volumes due to economic realities. At the end of the day, economics is going to drive it," he concluded.

Jim Daly, however, presented a compelling counterpoint, suggesting that advanced automation could revolutionize the landscape for products like Oral Solid Dosage (OSD). By significantly reducing labor costs, automation could make domestic manufacturing economically viable for products currently produced overseas. He cited the example of GLP-1s, anticipating that a future OSD version could justify a "fully automated facility" in the U.S., potentially marking a significant return for this sector. "Ideally if you can make labor really de minimis as far as the influence of the cost of manufacturing, that's where the opportunity is," Daly stated.

The event concluded with a strong sense that while the path to comprehensive life sciences onshoring is complex, marked by both immense opportunity and significant challenges, the collective wisdom and strategic efforts of industry leaders will be instrumental in shaping its future.

A Night of Insights and Energy

This BioInnovation Series session was more than just a panel discussion; it was a meaningful and thought-provoking conversation about the future of American biomanufacturing and its position on the global stage. The dialogue spanned key themes including technology innovation, regional competitiveness, workforce development, infrastructure, and the strategic shifts needed to secure U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing. It also sparked a timely reflection on what it will truly take for Greater Philadelphia—with its academic strength, growing biopharma base, and collaborative spirit—to lead the charge in this new era.

From CRB’s incredible hospitality to the depth and candor shared by each panelist, the night reflected everything that BioBuzz strives to deliver: real conversations with real leaders, storytelling that goes beyond the surface, and opportunities to meaningfully connect the people and ideas driving this industry forward. These are the moments where collaboration takes root and where the future of the life sciences ecosystem truly begins to take shape.

Special thanks are extended to the friends and partners at CRB for opening the doors to their beautiful space in Conshohocken. BioBuzz is also grateful to the sponsors who make the BioInnovation Series possible: CRB, Minaris Advanced Therapies, Brandywine REIT, Kymanox, BioCair, Qiagen, uCity Square, Wexford Science + Technology, Conner Strong & Buckelew, B+Labs, Keen Compressed Gas Co., and Funktional Brewing Company.

The BioInnovation Series continues to grow, with plans already underway for the next stop June 25th in the Navy Yard. BioBuzz encourages those interested in joining, supporting the movement, or becoming a sponsor to connect and help build the future of biotech—together.