Anchored by world-class research assets, Baton Rouge’s life sciences sector is positioned for growth.
Workforce
The Baton Rouge Area has a thriving life sciences workforce with over 7,000 workers in occupations including chemical technicians, chemists, biochemists, medical scientists, researchers and more at nationally competitive wages. Combined with the area’s robust technology sector and research assets, Baton Rouge provides an environment for life science companies to succeed.
Incentives
Companies in the life sciences sector may be eligible for state incentives, including:
- Quality Jobs Program: Up to a 6 percent rebate on annual payroll expenses for up to 10 years and either a state sales/use tax rebate on capital expenses or a 1.5 percent project facility expense rebate for qualifying expenses.
- Research & Development Tax Credit: A tax credit up to 30 percent to existing businesses with operating facilities in Louisiana to establish or continue research and development within the state.
- Digital Interactive Media & Software Program: A 25 percent tax credit for in-state labor, and an 18 percent credit for eligible production expenditures.
- Angel Investors Tax Credit: A 25 percent tax credit on investments, by accredited investors, in businesses certified by Louisiana Economic Development as Louisiana Entrepreneurial Businesses.
Assets
At the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the causes of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia, Pennington Biomedical is a campus of Louisiana State University and conducts basic, clinical and population research.
The research enterprise at the center includes approximately 63 faculty and more than 18 post-doctoral fellows who comprise a network of 43 laboratories supported by lab technicians, nurses, dietitians and support personnel, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. The center’s 450 employees perform research activities in state-of-the-art facilities on the 222-acre campus located in Baton Rouge.
The Health District is a place-based health collaborative of the region’s major healthcare providers that delivers health and economic development benefits to Baton Rouge and beyond. Providers in the Baton Rouge Health District can leverage their unique capabilities to deliver high-quality healthcare in a way that is greater than the sum of their parts. As a unified medical community, the Health District provides a platform for community health initiatives and collaboration. Whether it's finding shared cost savings or supporting research, the Health District exists to maximize the positive impact of its member institutions.
LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 30 veterinary schools in the U.S. and has trained more than 2,700 veterinarians who have gone on to excel in private primary and specialty veterinary practices, biotechnology and pharmacology industries, public healthy and academic researching and testing. The school’s Department of Pathobiological Sciences is ranked #1 in research productivity at LSU, with a research emphasis on infectious diseases, viral and bacterial pathogenesis, immunity and resistance to infectious agents, vector-borne diseases, and the use of GIS to study disease distribution and risk factors.
The LSU System Research & Technology Foundation is the parent entity of the Louisiana Emerging Technology Center – a 60,000 square foot business incubator on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus. The incubator is designed specifically for new companies with wet lab needs. The Louisiana Emerging Technologies Center lays the groundwork for companies involved in biotechnology, healthcare, environmental sciences, life sciences, agriculture and other technologies. It’s main areas of focus are to assist Louisiana universities with technology transfer, to assist start up technology with access to capital, and to help provide infrastructure to assist with the development of university research.
Created by Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana Life Sciences is an overview of the various state programs, incentives, and resources related to life sciences research and applications. Backed by state programs that empower research and innovation, bioscience startups and established institutions alike are powering Louisiana's emergence as a major hub of scientific exploration and collaboration. Louisiana Life Sciences acts as a hub, showcasing the state's cutting-edge facilities and world-class work at organizations including the Baton Rouge Health District, AlfaSigma, USA, and the Water Institute of the Gulf. Together, these institutions and state programs are creating opportunities for investment and economic growth.
Sites
The Baton Rouge Area has 36 development-ready sites. View the full sites database.
– LSU Innovation Park
A 200-acre certified site, the LSU Innovation Park has been master planned into a research and technology site for companies operating in a number of specialized fields compatible with LSU Research including bio-tech/life sciences, software development, and medical devices. The Master Plan sets out four different Architectural Typology based on the location of the building within the park.
