City: Norman

University of Oklahoma: Advancing Biotechnology and Human Health As the state’s flagship institution, the University of Oklahoma (OU) serves as a cornerstone of innovation in education, health care, and economic development. In Oklahoma City, the OU Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) stands out as one of only a few academic health centers nationwide housing seven health profession colleges on a single campus. With over 4,000 students enrolled in 70+ programs across Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OUHSC is the state’s leading research institution and a driving force in bioscience discovery, workforce development, and health innovation. OU’s bio assets are strategically aligned to support translational research, commercialization, and public-private partnerships: • Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC): Oklahoma’s only NCI-Designated Cancer Center and the largest public-private biosciences initiative in state history. SCC leads the nation in patient participation in National Clinical Trials Network studies and is establishing 10 translational research laboratories dedicated to drug discovery in cancer, diabetes, infectious disease, and heart failure. • Harold Hamm Diabetes Center: One of the world’s top centers for diabetes research, care, and prevention. With operations in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa, it hosts one of the largest groups of diabetes researchers globally, dedicated to advancing therapies and ultimately curing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. • Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME): Located on the Norman campus, SBME merges engineering, medicine, and biology to tackle complex healthcare challenges. Faculty and students work on innovations in biomaterials, medical imaging, regenerative medicine, and neural engineering. SBME partners closely with OU Health and industry collaborators to translate research into practical applications and train the next generation of biomedical innovators. • OU Bioprocessing Core Facility (OU BPCF): Supported by the EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC), the BPCF is a state-of-the-art biomanufacturing facility that serves as a critical link between university research and commercial application. It provides infrastructure, technical support, and workforce training to accelerate product development and grow Oklahoma’s biomanufacturing capacity. • Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships (OICP): OICP is the university’s central hub for industry engagement, connecting companies with research experts, laboratories, and intellectual property across OU’s campuses. It fosters collaborative research, manages strategic partnerships, and advances commercialization pathways to bring technologies to market. • Research Commercialization and Economic Impact: OU research has fueled the creation of several high-impact biotech companies, including Caisson Biotech (which licensed a technology to Novo Nordisk in a deal valued up to $100 million), Biolytx, Inoveon, and Selexys. With a strategic focus on cancer, diabetes, neuroscience, infectious disease, and immunology—and with the largest biomedical infrastructure in the state—OU is positioned as a leader in bioscience innovation. Its interdisciplinary approach, robust partnerships, and commitment to economic development are fueling a stronger biotechnology ecosystem and improving lives across Oklahoma and beyond.