P.C. Shannon

I read a lot of Wired. This month’s issue has a cover story about the exportation of tech jobs to India. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but this topic has been in the news a lot lately. It got me thinking about whether biotech jobs would ever be sent overseas to cheaper labor markets. I worry about this because since I decided to go back to school, I have fully expected and planned to get a job in the private sector rather than trying for an academic position.

Moving tech support or programmers to another location is a fairly straightforward proposition. All you need is a desk, a computer, a telephone, and then just route the calls. Moving a lab is a very different beast. In addition to the physical space, there’s a lot of specialized equipment, stocks, samples, chemicals, and chemical waste. Not to mention that the scientific community in this country is much stronger and more respected. The brain-drain historically is from India to the U.S.

However, the research climate in this country is changing. Politico-religious pressures are dampening stem cell research. The intellectual property laws are stifling innovation. We’ve already seen this situation drive prominent researchers to other countries. It seems likely that, without a major reversal in policy, this American brain-drain will continue. The United States will not be a leader in biotech.

It’s a conclusion that seems preposterous to us. The U.S. has been number one for so long that we can’t imagine being anything else. The Russians couldn’t either and certainly now are having hard a time not being a superpower. But the historical fact is that all empires fall. Maybe biotech is the beginning of the end for the U.S.