Bayer plans to invest $2.2 billion in a pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in New Albany’s International Business Park, expected to create about 600 permanent jobs. The announcement adds momentum to a growing life sciences corridor even as Intel's nearby semiconductor project remains years behind its original schedule.

Gov. Mike DeWine joined Bayer and JobsOhio officials Oct. 2 to announce what he called Ohio's largest international healthcare investment and the largest German direct investment in state history. The plant is expected to create 1,500 construction jobs alongside those 600 permanent positions.

The deal lands as Intel's $28 billion chip fabrication complex nearby keeps slipping. Intel's own newsroom update shows production at its Ohio One plant has been pushed to at least 2030, years past the original 2025 target.

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson said the company conducted a competitive global review before selecting New Albany, citing the local workforce, proximity to healthcare and research institutions, and cooperation from state leaders.

"If we wanted people from someplace else, we would have gone there," Anderson said at the Oct. 2 event.

The flexible, modular campus will combine drug substance and drug product manufacturing to support Bayer's portfolio in oncology, cardiovascular and renal care, according to the city's official announcement. Groundbreaking is expected in 2027. The first manufacturing module is slated to become operational in 2031, with a second module following in 2034.

A key piece of the workforce pipeline is already under construction. The Ohio Life Science Training Center (OLSTC), a $38 million biomanufacturing training facility in the business park, is scheduled to open in summer 2027. The city committed $5 million over five years toward the center, complementing JobsOhio's investment, according to the Ohio Life Sciences Association. The training center sits about five miles from the planned Bayer site.

Bayer joins a cluster in the business park that includes Amgen, Hims & Hers, American Regent and Pharmavite. Amgen announced a $1.4 billion expansion in December 2025 that will more than double its New Albany operations and add roughly 750 jobs. Hims & Hers announced plans the same month to invest more than $200 million in a new facility, creating up to 400 jobs.

Mayor Sloan Spalding said the life sciences industry employs 18,000 people across central Ohio and 64,000 statewide. He described the Bayer deal as part of a deliberate strategy to build a life sciences ecosystem spanning research, logistics, production and manufacturing, as first reported by Columbus Underground via the Ohio Capital Journal.

New Albany-Plain Local Schools Superintendent Jason Fine said the investment creates potential for students to connect with growing industries and future career pathways.

The OLSTC is set to open months before Bayer's first construction crews break ground, positioning it as the workforce pipeline for the plant's 2031 launch.