BioSTL Coalition

The BioSTL Coalition is comprised of top academic, civic, philanthropic and scientific leaders. With their combined local, national and international experience, they deliver the expertise to guide research and entrepreneurship, and the relationships that advance economic development and commercial success in a collaborative environment.

As cited by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program in Rethinking Cluster Initiatives: “The ability of [St. Louis innovation and economic development] organizations to collaborate effectively without a single driver or hierarchical structure is largely enabled by existence of the BioSTL Coalition, a standing committee convened by BioSTL, which includes mostly private sector representatives but also an increasing number of public sector actors, including the mayor. It serves as the primary venue for setting the strategic vision for the [agtech/bioscience] cluster. This coalition fosters the collaborative and trustful environment that local leaders believe distinguishes it from other similar clusters. The strong and consistent private sector voice ensures that the effort stays focused on building strong companies and gives traditional economic development actors the ability to contribute without having to worry about whether their efforts are visibly driving traditional economic development metrics like short-term job creation.”