ABOUT OIF

Ohio's Areas of Expertise

Ohio possesses identifiable expertise in several areas, including the following clusters of innovation:

AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE

Ohio's aerospace industry includes companies manufacturing aircraft, missiles, space vehicles, aerospace engine propulsion units as well as companies rebuilding aircraft and propulsion systems. In 1999, Ohio ranked sixth nationally (behind Washington, Kansas, Connecticut, Arizona and Georgia) in aerospace product and parts manufacturing, employing 17,600 workers at 78 establishments. The state ranks second in the US in aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing, employing over 11,000 employees at 27 establishments. Major aerospace companies having a base in Ohio include Boeing, TRW, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Allied Signal, General Dynamics and Lucent.

ADVANCED ELECTRONICS

Approximately 182,000 Ohio workers are employed in advanced electronics and related industries with more than 80% of them working in the computer services, telecommunications, and technology service clusters. Based on value added, an average of 4.1% of the nation's communications equipment was manufactured in Ohio in recent years, ranking the State 6th in the nation. The manufacture of computers and other electronic products is also a multi-billion dollar industry in Ohio. One hundred companies on Fortune magazine's U.S. 1,000 or Global 500 lists have establishments in Ohio that are part of this industry.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

IT stretches across nearly every industry segment in the economy and is a great opportunity for long-term job growth in Ohio. The seven fastest-growing job classifications in Ohio are all from the IT sector, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. IT is an industry based largely on intellectual capital and the State has a solid foundation segment on which to build its IT cluster.

BIOSCIENCES

Ohio possesses considerable advantages in life sciences. It is ranked first among US states in per capita clinical trials and is home to three of the top 20 pediatric medical clinics in the nation. The state ranks 10 th among US states in total NIH funding. Case Western Reserve University's bioengineering program is ranked fifth in the country and three medical schools (Ohio State University, Case Western and the University of Cincinnati) are ranked in the top 50. Ohio is the headquarters for three Fortune 35 companies involved in biosciences (Procter & Gamble, Cardinal Health and Kroger), as well as four leading bioscience companies (Ethicon, STERIS, Invacare and Ross Laboratories). Ohio also has significant strengths in complementary technology, including informatics, materials and specialty manufacturing.

ADVANCED MATERIALS

Ohio's economy has long been driven by world-class materials manufacturing industries, including steel, glass and ceramics, paper, rubber and plastics. Ohio's academic institutions also have strong programs and research capabilities in materials. In addition, world-class research and development organizations in the State such as Battelle Memorial Institute, the University of Dayton Research Institute, the National Composites Center in Dayton, the Edison Materials Technology Center in Toledo and the Cleveland Clinic are focusing on materials development. Ohio also has two major federal laboratories - the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and NASA Glenn, where advanced materials research is conducted.