As America’s 7th largest city, San Antonio is a community that embraces science and its role in defending the nation. San Antonio has a thriving biotechnology community and infrastructure as well as close proximity to other related scientific, veterinary, and medical programs. The scientific community in San Antonio is not limited to academia, as many universities have collaborations with military medical research programs and other research communities. The wide ranging research capacity of the entire San Antonio scientific and medical research community makes San Antonio a natural choice for NBAF.

Within San Antonio’s biosector there are more than 10 BSL-3 laboratories, the only privately owned BSL-4 laboratory in the United States, and over 80 board certified Veterinarians in Laboratory Medicine, Veterinary Prevention and Veterinary Pathology. The research programs conducted by the institutions comprising the consortium have led to a massive clinical research network, including vaccine trials for Smallpox, Anthrax, Plague, Tuberculosis, and AIDS.

San Antonio offers a number of unique advantages that make it ideal for NBAF:

• Central geographical location and temperate climate.
• Low threat profile and no adverse elements of winter weather or other weather-related natural disasters.
• High quality of life, rich culture, and superior schools and medical facilities.
• A diverse and growing economy with a strong biotechnology presence.
• Access to a mature multi-modal transportation system.
• Unique combination of intellectual research capabilities and supportive agriculture stakeholders.
• A highly-skilled work force that has worked on biocontainment facilities in the past.
• Low cost of living.
• Construction costs that are 10 to 15% below other major metropolitan areas.
• 12 colleges and universities that produce a wide range of skills needed for today's modern workforce, including the most complex and highest level of biomedical science degrees.