Gov. Tom Wolf announced today that ElevateBio, a company focused on cell and gene therapies, will be investing in its first Pennsylvania operation through the construction of an ElevateBio BaseCamp biomanufacturing facility with the University of Pittsburgh and creating 172 new, six-figure jobs in Pittsburgh.

“When I first took office, I promised to support Pennsylvanians with a strong business economy by creating and retaining good jobs that pay well. This investment in ElevateBio is just the latest fulfillment of that promise,” said Gov. Wolf. “I’m thrilled to welcome ElevateBio to the commonwealth, where they’re joining a $50 billion life sciences ecosystem.”

ElevateBio received a funding proposal coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team for an $860,000 Pennsylvania First grant. ElevateBio will be making significant investments in the facility, including $35 million in capital expenditures, as well as investments in the training of 172 new full-time jobs paying more than $105,000 annually within five years of the start of construction.

“ElevateBio’s mission is to enable the entire cell and gene therapy industry to accelerate the development of life-saving therapies for many decades to come,” said David Hallal, chairman and chief executive officer of ElevateBio. “We thank Gov. Wolf for his support and are excited that Pittsburgh will be home to one of our BaseCamp facilities so that we can enable greater access to our next-generation enabling technologies and end-to-end capabilities for local, national, and global scientific innovators.”

The University of Pittsburgh will finance the build out of the anticipated 80,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility and ElevateBio will commit to a long-term lease with extensions. Construction is expected to begin in 2023 and the university and company estimate that it will take three to four years to complete construction and gain qualification.

“We are excited to welcome ElevateBio to our region as the most recent addition to our life sciences ecosystem,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “We are proud of Pittsburgh’s ability to attract new and emerging life science companies and fortunate to have magnets like the University of Pittsburgh and its medical school. Along with this region’s quality of life and investment in innovation, we continue to see businesses choosing Pittsburgh and providing great career opportunities for talent to fill jobs across the ecosystem’s pipeline. We look forward to all that ElevateBio will do here.”