ALBUQUERQUE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham joined company officials today in breaking ground on Curia’s Albuquerque expansion that will create hundreds of new jobs in New Mexico.

The State of New Mexico is contributing up to $5 million to support the expansion through assistance from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job creation fund, and the company is set to add up to 274 employees in Albuquerque with an average salary over $50,000.

“New Mexico has become a sophisticated biosciences hub that continues to attract companies leading the way in global science and healthcare,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “These are the high-paying jobs of the future that will fortify New Mexico’s families and expand economic security for our graduates who want to remain in the state to live and work.”

“The state’s partnership with Curia and our investments are driving innovation in health sciences and will help create a more diversified, higher skilled workforce,” said Economic Development Department Secretary Alicia J. Keyes.

The expansion at the campus in Albuquerque will house a new advanced isolated high-speed fill-finish vial line – which includes biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) containment as well as two lyophilizers for the high-speed fill-finish line. Curia is also adding an isolated flexible filling line for vials, syringes, and cartridges at its second facility in Albuquerque on Balloon Park Road.

Curia is expected to invest more than $100 million into the property and the project is estimated to have a potential economic impact of over $1 billion in the next decade.

“We are delighted to recognize the beginning of construction for this much-needed expansion in bioscientific capacity and capabilities,” said Curia Chairman and CEO, John Ratliff. “I’m proud of the important work performed by Curia’s team here in Albuquerque, as they conduct the last step in the complex manufacturing process needed for injectable vaccines and medicines. Each day, they advance our mission of delivering life-changing science as part of a broader community dedicated to improving health. The expansion will not only provide career opportunities in New Mexico, it enables Curia to make a greater contribution to the production of vaccines and treatments, potentially saving millions of lives locally, nationally and globally. We appreciate the support and collaboration of all the organizations represented at our ground-breaking celebration.”

Curia recently announced a cooperative agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The flexible filling line and high-speed fill-finish vial line are planned to be operational in 2025.