Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was in Albuquerque Thursday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of contract research and manufacturing company Curia’s expansion to their existing Albuquerque campus.
According to their website, Curia offers products and services across the drug development spectrum that help their partners turn their idea into real-world impact.
During the pandemic, they manufactured and distributed the COVID-19 vaccine in Albuquerque.
Part of the reason this expansion was possible was due to the state kicking in up to $5 million in assistance funds through the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job creation fund.
With this assistance, Curia is expected to add up to 274 employees with an average salary of $50,000.
Governor Lujan Grisham said the investment in Curia will lead to more growth in New Mexico.
“Bioscience, intelligent manufacturing are two key issue that are ripe for growth and how delighted am I to be here today to announce $5 million that gets us to a place where you can invest $100 million into a secure, smart, innovative, the kind of technology that you heard John and the video, save lives.”
After the speaking portion of the event had concluded, the governor went on a tour of the faculty to see how Curia manufactures and distributes the vaccines and medicine they will be making in the heart of Albuquerque.
The project is estimated to have a potential economic impact of over $1 billion in the next decade.