Oregon Life Sciences Manufacturers Forum Launches

Oregon Life Sciences (formerly known as the Oregon Bioscience Association) has launched a new initiative to establish the Life Sciences Manufacturers Forum. The inaugural session convened during the 2025 Annual Conference on Sept. 29, and will continue regularly.

Co-led by Astou Gaye, Vice President and General Manager at Genentech’s Hillsboro Innovative Therapies campus, and Liisa Bozinovic, Executive Director at Oregon Life Sciences, this new forum brings together senior leaders from across the state to align on workforce needs and growth priorities.

By speaking with a coordinated voice, Oregon’s biomanufacturers can share knowledge, strengthen their individual competitiveness, identify common growth opportunities, and help build a more resilient industry for the future.

Companies and organizations that participated in the initial survey, attended the September kickoff meeting, or have expressed interest in joining the conversation include Abbott, Twist Bioscience, Micro Systems Engineering, Inc., Genentech, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abcam, Oregon Freeze Dry, Actylis, Lonza, and Serán BioScience.

Oregon Life Sciences’ Executive Director Liisa Bozinovic explained,

“Companies coming together to innovate this model approach represent a cross-section of Oregon’s biomanufacturing sector — from medical devices and research tools to active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug product manufacturing. Collectively, these organizations support tens of thousands of high-skill jobs in Oregon, contribute to global supply chains, and provide critical inputs and production capacity for the life sciences industry.”

Bozinovic added that the timing for this initiative is especially strong,

“Governor Kotek hosted a bioscience roundtable in June during the Democratic Governors Association’s policy conference in Portland, signaling her interest in this sector. At the same time, Oregon has consistently invested in the semiconductor industry — and as the life science sector is demonstrably recession-resistant, this is an ideal moment to elevate our industry. It’s important to show that the life sciences ecosystem represents a sector the state would do well to invest in.”

Initial industry outreach revealed a clear set of shared priorities and opportunities, underscoring why a manufacturing collaboration is both timely and necessary. Leaders identified several common themes and goals:

Shared Opportunities and Challenges
• Workforce: Recruiting and retaining technical talent is the top shared priority, especially for entry-level, skilled trades, and early-career roles.
• Infrastructure: Supply chain constraints, housing availability, and permitting challenges continue to pose barriers to growth.
• Collaboration: Companies expressed strong interest in working together on workforce gaps and aligning on priorities for state and public investment.
• Confidentiality: Participants emphasized the need for open discussion with clear guardrails around proprietary information.

Potential First-Year Goals
• Establish a charter and vision for the Oregon Life Sciences Manufacturers Forum
• Identify and prioritize one or two shared initiatives that deliver near-term value
• Build a trusted leadership community for Oregon’s biomanufacturing sector

Forum participants also heard from Oregon Rep. Daniel Nguyen (D–Dist. 38), Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade. “He has been a strong champion for Oregon’s innovation economy, including securing new funding this year for the state’s Centers for Innovation Excellence. We’re delighted he could meet many of Oregon’s biomanufacturing leaders to hear these priorities,” Bozinovic added.