Using its own set of criteria, the trade publication Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) today listed the Research Triangle area the nation’s  No. 8 biopharmaceutical cluster for 2014.

The publication established its rankings of the top 10 biopharm clusters using an algorithm based on patents awarded, National Institutes of Health grant funding, venture capital funding, total lab space in the region, and what it called the “number of jobs.”

The data lead to tortured comparisons, however, with some totals reflecting statewide numbers and others reflecting metro area numbers. And they don’t reflect life science activity such as agricultural biotechnology, in which North Carolina has become a world leader.

The RTP area is also a leader in biomanufacturing, which contributes greatly to employment but not as much to patent totals, NIH grant funding and total lab space.

The publication addressed the problem this way: “One ambitious attempt at a unified ranking system for biotech regions came more than a year ago from the real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle. But because definitions may differ across regions, users are at risk of seeing cluster comparisons that feel more like another well-worn phrase: comparing apples to oranges.”

So if you’re thrilled by competition, here’s the GEN ranking for 2014:

  • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Boston / Cambridge, MA
  • San Diego
  • Maryland / Suburban Washington, DC
  • New York City
  • Seattle
  • Philadelphia
  • Raleigh-Durham (includes Research Triangle Park)
  • Los Angeles
  • Chicago

Here’s what GEN had to say about us:

“North Carolina’s biopharma mecca is up toward the middle in NIH grants (sixth at $109.3 million), among the top in jobs (58,000), but decidedly down the list in patents (ninth at 312) and VC funding (eighth at about $150 million). A generation after Research Triangle Park drew pharma manufacturing from the Northeast, the region’s industry is riding a wave of contract research organization growth, anchored by the headquarters of the world’s largest CRO, Quintiles. Last month the Research Triangle Foundation paid $17 million to acquire about 100 additional acres, some of which is expected to draw new biopharmas.”

Editor’s note: Jim Shamp is director of public relations for the N.C. Biotechnology Center.

(C) NC Biotechnology Center