Bayer has announced plans to invest $2.2 billion in a new pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in New Albany, Ohio. The Bayer New Albany campus will combine drug substance and drug product production across two modules, with the first scheduled to become operational in 2031. The project is expected to create around 600 permanent jobs.
Announced on October 2 with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and JobsOhio, the investment builds on more than $7 billion that Bayer has spent on US pharmaceutical research and manufacturing over the past five years. In addition, Bayer describes the campus as its first major greenfield pharmaceutical production project in North America. The company also intends the site to anchor a US collaboration ecosystem that links academic research with advanced manufacturing expertise, and Ohio State University president Ravi Bellamkonda said university researchers will work alongside Bayer teams.
Meanwhile, the First Solar Innovation Center in Perrysburg shows how Ohio has already delivered a large research asset beside existing production. First Solar announced the facility in 2022 with a $270 million price tag, and it opened in July 2024 as the Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation. The company describes the 1.3 million square foot site as the largest solar R&D facility in the Western Hemisphere, and JobsOhio reports that it has created 180 jobs. Furthermore, First Solar places the center within a roughly $500 million investment in R&D infrastructure.
Bayer New Albany Campus Combines Drug Substance and Drug Product Manufacturing
The Bayer New Albany campus will be designed as a flexible, modular site that brings drug substance and drug product manufacturing together in one location. In addition, Bayer plans to apply advanced digital and automation technologies across the campus. The company said the facility will support its growing portfolio in oncology, cardiovascular and renal care.
The first module, dedicated to drug substance manufacturing, is expected to become operational in 2031. Therefore, the Bayer New Albany campus will take about five years to reach its first production milestone from the date of announcement. A second module for drug product manufacturing is planned to follow in 2034.
Bayer CEO Bill Anderson said, “This landmark investment underscores our commitment” to the United States as a manufacturing base and innovation hub. Moreover, Holger Weintritt, head of product supply at Bayer’s pharmaceuticals division, said the Ohio site will add resilience and reliability to the company’s global supply network.
The Bayer New Albany campus will complement Bayer’s US pharmaceuticals headquarters in Whippany, New Jersey, and its sites in Pittsburgh, Berkeley, Cambridge, Research Triangle Park and San Diego. Sebastian Guth, chief operating officer of Bayer Pharmaceuticals and president of Bayer US, called the United States the company’s fastest-growing pharmaceuticals market. According to trade press interviews, Guth also said annual US R&D spending has risen from under half a billion dollars to well above $1.2 billion since he joined.
Bayer New Albany Campus Is Expected to Create 600 Jobs and 1,500 Construction Roles
Bayer and state officials expect the Bayer New Albany campus to create around 600 permanent jobs, along with roughly 1,500 construction jobs during the build. Additionally, the permanent roles equal roughly 23 percent of the more than 2,660 people already employed by life sciences companies in the park, according to The New Albany Company president and CEO William Ebbing.
Workforce readiness was central to the site decision, according to JobsOhio. The Ohio Life Science Training Center, under construction in New Albany, is scheduled to open in summer 2027 to train biomanufacturing operators and technicians. JobsOhio is investing up to $30 million in the center, alongside nearly $8 million from the City of New Albany, the State of Ohio and The New Albany Company.
Bayer joins Amgen, Hims & Hers, American Regent and Pharmavite in the New Albany International Business Park, which JobsOhio says benefits from two decades of master planning for power, water and infrastructure. Furthermore, the project sits within the Ohio Discovery Corridor, which connects nine anchor institutions and provides access to 39,000 annual STEM graduates. As a result, the Bayer New Albany campus gains a ready talent pipeline before the first foundation is poured.
Senator Bernie Moreno said Ohio beat out many other states for the Bayer New Albany campus. Meanwhile, New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding described the training center as the first facility of its kind in Ohio, with a total cost of nearly $38 million.
Bayer Ohio Investment Still Awaits Incentive Approvals and Contractor Awards
The Bayer New Albany campus will pursue a Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Department of Development at a future Tax Credit Authority meeting. In addition, Bayer plans to seek JobsOhio assistance, which would be made public after a final agreement is executed.
Bayer has not disclosed the site area, the construction start date, the design team or the general contractor. As a result, procurement details for the Bayer New Albany campus remain unknown.
The announcement arrives as more drugmakers commit multibillion-dollar projects in the United States, according to industry reports. Also, JobsOhio has separately announced a $267 million Hikma Pharmaceuticals expansion in Ohio that is expected to create 350 jobs. Bayer said the Bayer New Albany campus will supply medicines to patients in the United States and abroad.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Bayer New Albany pharmaceutical manufacturing campus
- Developer: Bayer (Pharmaceuticals division)
- Location: New Albany International Business Park, New Albany, Ohio
- Project Type: Greenfield pharmaceutical manufacturing campus
- Project Value: $2.2 billion
- Scope: Drug substance and drug product manufacturing, flexible and modular design
- Therapeutic Focus: Oncology, cardiovascular and renal care
- Phasing: Module 1 (drug substance) and Module 2 (drug product)
- Status: Announced October 2, 2026; incentive approvals pending
- Site Area: Not publicly disclosed
- Construction Start: Not publicly disclosed
- Target Completion: Module 1 operational in 2031; Module 2 planned for 2034
- Construction Jobs: Roughly 1,500 (per Bayer and JobsOhio)
- Permanent Jobs: Around 600 (per Bayer and JobsOhio)
- Incentives: Job Creation Tax Credit sought; JobsOhio assistance to be disclosed after final agreement
Project Team
Owner and Developer
- Developer: Bayer
Public Bodies and Economic Development
- State Government: Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
- Economic Development Corporation: JobsOhio
- Municipality: City of New Albany
- Regional Economic Development: One Columbus
- Tax Credit Authority: Ohio Department of Development
- Workforce Partner: Ohio Life Sciences
Land and Business Park
- Park Developer: The New Albany Company
Academic Partners
- Research Partner: The Ohio State University
- Workforce Partner: Columbus State
Design, Construction and Finance
- Design Team: Not publicly disclosed
- General Contractor: Not yet awarded
- Financiers: Not publicly disclosed
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