A Message From Dana Catron, President & CEO of SFBI
I recently stepped into the role of President and CEO of the Santa Fe Business Incubator, but my work in New Mexico’s bioscience ecosystem goes back several years.
At NMSU’s Arrowhead Center, I worked closely with researchers, startups, and federal partners to support commercialization and economic development, and I also had the opportunity to serve on the New Mexico Bioscience Authority board. That experience gave me a clear vantage point on both the strength of this ecosystem and the opportunity ahead.
My own background in bovine genomics research at Washington State University also gives me a personal appreciation for the challenges and opportunities scientists face in moving ideas toward commercialization.
New Mexico has the core bioscience assets to lead – strong research institutions, national labs, and a growing base of entrepreneurs – and the state has identified bioscience as a priority growth sector for long-term economic diversification and innovation. We are already seeing momentum across the state, but sustaining and scaling that growth will require continued investment in the infrastructure that supports bioscience companies.
At the same time, there are clear gaps we need to address to fully realize that potential. One of the most pressing is access to wet lab space for startups and early-stage companies. If we are serious about recruiting and growing bioscience companies in New Mexico, we need to ensure there are places for them to land, build, and scale. Without that infrastructure, we risk losing companies to regions that are better equipped to support them.
At SFBI, we are working to address that challenge directly. We are one of the few incubators in the state that offers wet lab space for innovators – and currently the only facility in Santa Fe providing that capability. Combined with the recent addition of the National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR), this creates a unique environment where scientific expertise and entrepreneurial support are closely aligned.
I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the New Mexico Bioscience Authority and partners across the state to strengthen this ecosystem and accelerate bioscience innovation in New Mexico.
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