Puerto Rico’s Reshoring Momentum: An INDUNIV Perspective

Governor’s Reshoring Task Force

Puerto Rico’s recent announcement of $2 billion in reshoring investment commitments and over 1,533 new jobs - from Lilly, Amgen and AbbVie, with additional announcements expected - underscores the island’s competitiveness and leadership as a strategic hub for advanced manufacturing in the life sciences. This momentum reflects a coordinated effort among government, industry, and partners to strengthen U.S. supply chains while creating high-quality jobs for Puerto Rico’s workforce.

As the leading advocate for Puerto Rico’s life sciences ecosystem, INDUNIV welcomes these developments and views them as a validation of the island’s deep capabilities in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, medical research and related sectors. For four decades, INDUNIV has worked at the intersection of industry, academia, and government to advance understanding of bioscience development, inform public policy, and promote Puerto Rico as a preferred location for new investment.

The four initiatives highlighted by the administration—the Executive Concierge, the Puerto Rico Workforce Reshoring Fund, the Incentives Master Grant, and the Puerto Rico Reshoring Roadshow—align closely with INDUNIV’s mission and ongoing work as a member of the Governor’s Reshoring Task Force. INDUNIV’s clusters committees include four pillars: STEM Education & Innovation, global competitiveness, business development & promotion and community/government relations. Over forty years, this has become a natural platform to influence government strategies, support these efforts by surfacing industry needs, align talent strategies, and communicate Puerto Rico’s competitive advantages to global investors.

Workforce development will be decisive in turning reshoring commitments into sustainable, innovation-driven growth. INDUNIV is actively working with the Reshoring Task Force on a strategic plan to help identify talent gaps, co-design stackable credentials, education and training pathways, and apprenticeship programs with the University of Puerto Rico. This aims to ensure that local students, technicians, and scientists can fully participate in new biopharmaceutical, medical device, and advanced manufacturing opportunities as well as to prevent the attrition of the industry’s workforce in Puerto Rico and the States.

From left: Ivan Lugo, Executive Director, INDUNIV; Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón; & Sebastián Negrón Reichard, Secretary, Dept. of Economic Development & Commerce, Puerto Rico.

These developments build on the momentum of the Puerto Rico’s BioTech Hub, thus far, an investment of $500,000 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to advance the region as a global. leader in biotechnology, which INDUNIV partners on with the Puerto Rico Science & Technology Research Trust. Last year, the Trust became a member of NIIMBL, and with INDUNIV, hosted students as part of the NIIMBL eXperience program, which the partners are planning again for 2026.

Looking ahead, INDUNIV sees this reshoring agenda as an opportunity to deepen collaboration across its membership and with partners such as DDEC (Puerto Rico’s Dept. of Economic Development & Commerce), InvestPR, and the Reshoring Task Force. By aligning investment, infrastructure, and talent strategies, Puerto Rico can cement its position as a global center of excellence in the life sciences, delivering value to companies, resilience to U.S. supply chains, and shared prosperity for communities

across the island.