By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling
Average reading time: 4.5 minutes
Health care and life sciences leaders converged on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Southern Methodist University (SMU) for the Dallas Business Journal Future of Health Care event, exploring how the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Region is positioning itself as a global life sciences hub.
The conversation centered on the region’s unique advantages and untapped potential in an industry that touches everything from patient care to economic development. Kelly Cloud, Vice President of Economic Development – Life Sciences at the Dallas Regional Chamber, highlighted how DFW’s diverse assets—from logistics infrastructure to collaborative research institutions—are creating momentum in a sector that has long operated quietly in the background of the region’s economy.
A comprehensive economic engine
The life sciences sector represents far more than laboratory research and pharmaceutical development. As Cloud explained, the industry’s reach extends across multiple facets of the regional economy, creating a ripple effect that touches construction, professional services, intellectual property, audit, and real estate sectors.
The economic impact is substantial and measurable. Pegasus Park alone, according to projections by economist Dr. Ray Perryman, could generate $1.9 billion in annual gross income and create over 15,000 jobs at full build-out. Meanwhile, the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the state’s $6 billion granting arm for oncology, has already enabled clinical trials for over 6,400 patients in the DFW Region. Additionally, the recent passage of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) continues that growth in a new area of health care.
“That’s not only an economic impact in terms of jobs, in terms of creating sustainability in a job force in an industry that’s moving forward in the future, but also you have touching patients’ lives and improving our community’s quality of life,” Cloud said.
Health care jobs offer another advantage: recession resistance. Because everyone needs health care, these positions provide stability and a translational skill set, even during economic downturns, creating a reliable foundation for workforce development.
Building on hidden strengths
DFW has been quietly building life sciences capacity for decades, but only recently has that work gained global recognition.
“It’s a humble bunch around here,” Cloud observed. “We’ve been doing things for a long time, but just now people are starting to talk about it and recognize it.”
The region boasts established success stories like Alcon, which was born and grew in the DFW market. The area is home to eight Carnegie-designated research institutions, the most in Texas, which itself leads the nation in such designations. This concentration creates a substantial talent pool for research and development.
Beyond research talent, the region offers what Cloud called “translational talent”—professionals whose skills allow them to move fluidly throughout the industry. This workforce flexibility, combined with the region’s 33% share of Texas’ tech workforce and 31% of the state’s manufacturing, creates an environment increasingly conducive to life sciences growth.
Strategic location and infrastructure
The DFW Region’s geographic and logistical advantages emerged as critical differentiators. With the most direct flights in the country and a central time zone location, the region serves as a gateway for national and international business.
But the infrastructure advantages go deeper. DFW is one of only two IATA CEIV Pharma-certified airport communities and has the second-largest cold chain storage capacity in the nation. For an industry dealing with life-saving, temperature-sensitive, and time-critical shipments like gene therapies and nuclear medicines, these capabilities are mission-critical.
“Within a 10-hour drive you can reach 50 million people from DFW,” Cloud pointed out, emphasizing how the region’s centrality enables rapid distribution across major population centers, especially when considering direct flights reach either coast in about four hours or less.
Uncommon collaboration
Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of DFW’s life sciences ecosystem is the level of collaboration among research institutions. Cloud highlighted partnerships that would be rare in other markets.
The Texoma Semiconductor Hub, led by SMU, operates as a consortium, representing one major collaborative effort. The University of Texas at Dallas and UT Southwestern jointly developed a biomedical engineering program within the past two years in partnership with Texas Instruments. UT System schools, UT Arlington, and UT Southwestern recently secured a $23 million NIH grant for brain research. UT Arlington and Texas A&M are collaborating on hands-on commercial Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training with the NCTM2 opening in December of 2025. This is part of the larger collaboration for BioWorks of North Texas, with Dallas College, Tarrant County College, Collin College, and UTA to build a bioengineering workforce.
“Collaboration like that is unique and that is something that should be celebrated and embraced,” Cloud emphasized. “You don’t see that anywhere else.”
This collaborative spirit extends beyond academics into the broader business community, helping to break down traditional silos and accelerate innovation.
The data challenge
Despite these strengths, Cloud acknowledged a significant gap: comprehensive data collection. Unlike states that have tracked life sciences companies and employment for decades, Texas is just beginning to standardize its approach.
“We have not been tracking all of our life science companies that are in market. I find a new one every week. I am not kidding,” Cloud admitted. The challenge extends to understanding what percentage of professional services firms actually serve the life sciences sector.
In September, regional and state partners across Texas are coordinating to establish baseline NAICS codes for life sciences classification. We coordinated to establish a baseline code to accurately represent the last four years of job postings across the life sciences industry.
“Getting that data out there of the true picture is what’s going to feed this ecosystem that’s already growing,” Cloud said. Physical site visits to facilities like Pegasus Park help legitimize the region’s capabilities for skeptical observers, but comprehensive data will tell the complete story.
Looking ahead
The region includes 80% of the industry makeup found across the United States, creating a diverse foundation for continued life sciences growth. As global supply chains reconfigure and more life sciences operations relocate to the U.S., DFW’s central location, collaborative culture, and expanding infrastructure position it to capture significant opportunities.
The conversation at SMU underscored that while DFW has been building its life sciences capacity quietly for years, the region is now ready to step into a more prominent global role. With continued focus on data collection, infrastructure development, and institutional collaboration, DFW is working to cure longstanding misconceptions and establish itself as a legitimate life sciences powerhouse.