Trailblazers wanted: Pioneering the future of life sciences in Fort Worth, Texas

As the 12th-largest and fastest-growing large city in the U.S. – according to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data – the low-cost, business-friendly environment in Fort Worth, Texas, makes the city an attractive location for growing and established companies.

For example, Fort Worth is home to the corporate headquarters of Alcon, GM Financial and American Airlines, whose largest hub at DFW International Airport can connect people to either coast in about four hours.

The city also has numerous qualities that appeal to career-driven young professionals. With thriving entertainment districts, a world-class cultural district and 100 miles of running trails along the Trinity River, it’s no wonder so many people are moving to Fort Worth to enjoy the area’s quality of life.

The recently-established Fort Worth Medical Innovation District in the heart of the city’s Near Southside has galvanized public and private entities working alongside academic institutions to capitalize on the momentum behind the region’s life sciences industry – working to build strong workforce pipelines and create a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem to further support its long-term growth.

Investing in Fort Worth’s intellectual future

Fort Worth’s population boom mirrors the expansion of several major colleges and universities, which are increasing their physical footprint and creating new degree programs to prepare future generations of students for in-demand jobs across several of the city’s target sectors.

Chief among them is Texas A&M University, whose nationally ranked law school will anchor the first building in a planned 3 1/2-acre urban campus known as Texas A&M-Fort Worth. This campus will combine the university’s Tier One research expertise with private-sector collaboration and customizable workforce development programs, all within the city’s downtown innovation district.

Texas A&M-Fort Worth is expected to spur economic growth through unique public-private partnerships with companies like Alcon and Lockheed Martin, which will capitalize on the strengths of the city’s deep foundations in the life science, aerospace and energy sectors.

In the Near Southside district, Texas Christian University recently completed work on a building to house the growing Burnett School of Medicine. The Burnett School places a priority on creating empathetic scholars, and students hone their skill sets in interpersonal communication and critical thinking while building their medical expertise in family medicine, pediatrics, surgery and other specializations.

While TCU’s medical school is relatively new, several graduates already have been placed for residencies among the award-winning hospitals in Fort Worth’s Medical Innovation District.

Additionally, UNT Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth established a college of nursing in 2023, alongside their existing curriculums in pharmaceutical studies, osteopathic medicine and biomedical sciences. HSC’s Regional Simulation Center is another recent addition to the campus, providing students with an opportunity to experience real-life training environments through cutting-edge virtual reality. The school is also an important partner in the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator, now in its third year.

Alcon: Creating a legacy of local innovation

Lastly, Fort Worth is home to a robust ecosystem of life science entrepreneurs, and several of these startups originated from a common source: Alcon, the eye care products manufacturer whose operations have been headquartered in the city since 1945.

Several former employees from Alcon have gone on to start and grow successful ventures in Fort Worth. Examples include AyuVis, a pharmaceutical company working to develop a new generation of immunotherapies; Panthera Biosolutions, which offers manufacturing flex spaces and leasable cleanrooms to help pharma companies scale to GMP standards; and Eosera, a biotech company specializing in ear care products, which has experienced a 292% growth in revenue over the past three years – landing them on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list even as they expanded into a 37,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in 2023.

The city of Fort Worth offers a unique local R&D tax credit program to further support life sciences companies, in which eligible businesses can receive grants equal to a percentage of their Fort Worth-based research and development costs. While these performance-based grants are limited to the value of new property taxes created by the project, they can also be sold or assigned to other commercial projects.

With a growing population, a business-friendly environment and strong depth in the life sciences sector, Fort Worth is a proven destination for forward-thinking companies – firmly staking its claim as the center of the Modern West.

To learn more about economic development in Fort Worth, check out itbeginsinfortworth.com.