SCbio will spotlight South Carolina’s expanding life sciences sector at BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, positioning the state as a growing hub for biomanufacturing, digital health and biotech.
The organisation will lead a South Carolina delegation that includes 15 life sciences companies and organisations with roots in the state. The delegation will use BIO 2026 to engage global industry leaders, promote investment opportunities and highlight the state’s talent, infrastructure and partnership ecosystem.
This is relevant because regional life sciences clusters are becoming increasingly important to biopharma manufacturing, supply chain resilience and industry expansion. South Carolina is seeking to strengthen its role in the U.S. Southeast by linking industry, academia, government and economic development partners.
The state is home to more than 1,000 life sciences companies and employs over 63,000 professionals. SCbio said the industry generates $20.1 billion in annual economic impact, with life sciences employment growth in South Carolina exceeding all other Southeastern states since 2019.
In 2024, the South Carolina Department of Commerce recognised life sciences as a top-three business priority for economic growth. This gives the sector policy relevance beyond company-level expansion, especially as states compete for biomanufacturing investment, research activity and advanced manufacturing capacity.
The South Carolina delegation at BIO 2026 will include companies and organisations such as Quest Diagnostics, AmbioPharm and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. SCbio will also sponsor the South Carolina pavilion at booth #2121 and host meetings and networking events throughout the convention.
The development reflects how life sciences growth is increasingly shaped by regional ecosystems, not only individual companies. For South Carolina, the opportunity lies in converting visibility at BIO 2026 into investment, partnerships and commercial expansion.
Adoption of South Carolina as a larger life sciences base will depend on workforce depth, infrastructure readiness, incentives, research capacity and the ability to support companies from startup stage through manufacturing scale-up. As biopharma supply chains continue to regionalise, states with coordinated industry platforms may become more competitive in attracting global life sciences investment.
