Biotechs find problem-solving in academia, and mostly outside the big hubs 

The interplay of academia and industry, at the very upstream part of the drug development continuum, is not only the province of VCs spinning out newcos and pharmas tapping external innovation. A substantial, and often understated, part of the ecosystem involves deals between biotechs and academics, with smaller companies accessing assets to add to their pipelines and technologies to help solve problems — some longstanding ones, and others that open new opportunities. These deals are highly populated by academics outside the hubs of Boston and the Bay Area. 

Academia’s footprint in the biopharma ecosystem is now well-established. The vision of industry as “the dark side” has receded, as many universities and research institutes embrace biotech as a channel to create real-world medical benefits out of their discoveries. The problem now is that the activity is so heavily concentrated in the major hubs of Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area, with a trickle of places beyond, that much of the innovation from other regions lies fallow. ...