As life sciences companies rethink global supply chains, reshoring has become more than a trend; it has become a strategic imperative. The question is no longer whether to bring critical operations closer to the U.S. market. The question is where.
During Invest Puerto Rico’s recent webinar with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Reshoring Biotech to the United States: Why Puerto Rico Leads the Way, industry leaders shared firsthand perspectives on why Puerto Rico continues to attract pharmaceutical manufacturers, emerging biotech companies, and specialized service providers.
Hosted by Alexis Rivera, Senior Business Development Director at Invest Puerto Rico, the webinar featured: David M. Jackson, PhD, CEO of Ceria Therapeutics, Francisco “Frank” Rodriguez, President of Millicent Puerto Rico, and Roberto Rivera-Sampayo, Senior Director of Business Development at Mentor Technical Group.
Together, they offered perspectives from across the bioscience value chain, from research and development to commercial manufacturing and specialized technical services, highlighting why Puerto Rico is increasingly viewed as a strategic destination for companies seeking to reshore or expand operations within the United States.
Their message was clear: Puerto Rico’s competitive advantage lies in the ability to move from research and development to commercial manufacturing within a single, highly connected ecosystem. Rather than assembling talent, infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and specialized partners across multiple locations, companies can access those capabilities in one place and under U.S. jurisdiction.
A Complete Bioscience Ecosystem Already in Place
For companies evaluating reshoring opportunities, one of the biggest challenges is rebuilding capabilities that have traditionally been spread across multiple locations.
According to David Jackson, Puerto Rico stands out because many of the capabilities required to develop, manufacture, and commercialize biotech products already exist within a highly connected ecosystem.
“The 50% of the cost of drug development is time,” Jackson explained. “Almost all of those services are consolidated in a very small place.”
That connectivity extends beyond infrastructure. Puerto Rico’s bioscience ecosystem includes more than 70 FDA-approved manufacturing facilities, leading pharmaceutical and medical device companies, research institutions, specialized service providers, and industry organizations that help facilitate collaboration across the sector. Organizations such as the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust, the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association, and the Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation help connect companies with research capabilities, talent, commercialization resources, and industry partners.
Jackson noted that this collaborative environment creates advantages that are difficult to replicate in larger markets. “It’s an incredibly tight relationship-driven ecosystem,” he said. “I can make a phone call and I might get called back before I even have someone make a referral to me.”
For emerging biotech companies, that means access to specialized manufacturing, logistics, research resources, regulatory support, and commercialization pathways without the complexity of coordinating across multiple geographies.
Rather than building infrastructure from scratch, companies can plug into an ecosystem designed to accelerate growth.
Manufacturing Expertise Built Over Decades
Puerto Rico’s life sciences sector has long been recognized as one of the most experienced pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs under U.S. regulatory jurisdiction.
Frank Rodriguez emphasized that the island’s value extends far beyond facilities and equipment.
“We operate under U.S. regulatory standards,” Rodriguez noted. “Companies gain access to experienced pharmaceutical professionals, sophisticated manufacturing facilities, and decades of FDA-regulated operational expertise.”
That expertise translates directly into reduced operational risk and faster implementation timelines.
For companies bringing manufacturing back to the United States, workforce readiness is often one of the largest hurdles. Puerto Rico’s established talent base provides immediate access to professionals experienced in quality systems, validation, compliance, and regulated manufacturing environments.
Talent That Understands Regulated Industries
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was talent.
Roberto Rivera-Sampayo highlighted Puerto Rico’s strong STEM pipeline and deep industry experience.
The island consistently produces highly educated STEM graduates while also benefiting from a workforce that has spent decades operating within FDA-regulated industries.
Beyond technical qualifications, panelists pointed to another advantage: institutional knowledge.
Companies relocating operations need employees who understand how regulated facilities function, how audits are conducted, and how quality systems are maintained. Puerto Rico’s workforce brings that experience from day one.
As Rivera-Sampayo noted, companies can find not only scientists and engineers, but also specialized partners capable of supporting everything from facility operations and validation to regulatory compliance and commercialization.
Innovation Is Expanding Alongside Manufacturing
While Puerto Rico is often recognized for pharmaceutical manufacturing, the panel emphasized that the island’s innovation ecosystem continues to evolve.
Jackson, whose company operates in advanced therapeutic development, described Puerto Rico as a place where innovation and manufacturing capabilities increasingly coexist.
For companies developing next-generation therapeutics, including advanced biologics, oligonucleotides, and novel delivery platforms, proximity to research institutions and scientific collaborators can be critical.
Puerto Rico’s growing network of research centers, universities, and innovation-focused organizations allows companies to access both scientific expertise and manufacturing infrastructure within a single ecosystem.
This creates opportunities to support product development from early research through commercial scale-up.
Resilience Is Part of the Competitive Advantage
One of the most common concerns companies raise when considering Puerto Rico is resilience.
The panel addressed that issue directly.
While hurricanes are often the first concern raised by companies unfamiliar with Puerto Rico, Jackson noted that his experience on the island challenged many of those assumptions.
“I was impressed when I arrived on the island,” he said. “The very first things that I was shown in every single facility we toured were multiply redundant electrical, water, and infrastructural systems.”
He also pointed to Puerto Rico’s logistics capabilities as a major competitive advantage, particularly for highly regulated industries such as biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
“The logistics capabilities on the island are absolutely fantastic for biopharmaceutical companies,” Jackson said.
Rodriguez echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the commitment of Puerto Rico’s workforce and the industry’s long track record of maintaining operations during challenging circumstances.
“The workforce here is terrific,” he said. “They all help because it’s their home.”
For companies focused on supply chain resilience, Puerto Rico’s experience navigating disruptions has become an operational strength rather than a liability.
Moving Beyond the Incentives Narrative
Another misconception discussed during the webinar is the assumption that Puerto Rico’s value proposition begins and ends with incentives.
While incentives can support investment decisions, panelists agreed that they are not the primary reason companies choose Puerto Rico.
“The true value,” Rodriguez explained, “is the workforce, the infrastructure, the operational expertise, and the ecosystem.”
For companies making long-term strategic investments, those fundamentals often matter far more than short-term financial considerations.
Puerto Rico offers direct access to the U.S. market while providing the infrastructure, regulatory environment, and industry expertise necessary to support complex life sciences operations.
The Future of Reshoring
As the life sciences industry continues to prioritize supply chain security, manufacturing resilience, and proximity to the U.S. market, Puerto Rico is increasingly positioned as a natural destination for both established manufacturers and emerging biotech innovators.
What distinguishes the island is not any single advantage, but the combination of factors that already exist in one location: experienced talent, FDA-regulated manufacturing expertise, research capabilities, specialized service providers, and a collaborative ecosystem built around the needs of the life sciences industry.
As David Jackson noted, few locations can support the journey from research and development to commercial manufacturing within a single, integrated ecosystem. Combined with decades of pharmaceutical manufacturing experience and a deep bench of technical talent, Puerto Rico offers companies an opportunity to accelerate growth while reducing risk.
For companies evaluating where to establish or expand U.S. operations, Puerto Rico is no longer simply part of the reshoring conversation.
For companies evaluating where to build resilient, scalable life sciences operations in the United States, Puerto Rico offers a proven ecosystem ready to support the journey from innovation to commercialization.
