Salt Lake Community College Biotechnology Program Presents Science Education as a Business Salt Lake Community College Biotechnology Program Initiated in August 2001 Seed money provided by a 3-year NSF grant 2-year A.A.S. created 1-year high school program Mission Generate interest in science Train students in basic lab skills Provide challenging research opportunities Support local bioscience industry Support state economic development Student demand: survey results Affect school choice: Financial aid: 90% Class schedule fits with work: 97% Drive to class requires more than 30 min: 81% Conflict with work hours: 82% Need to attend part time: 75% SLCC 2-Year A.A.S. Three wet labs, computer lab, cell culture facility 2 FT faculty; 11 adjunct faculty 61 college students; 31 graduates Foreign exchange program New track in Biomanufacturing training Creating 4-year completion High School Program One year, juniors or seniors 13 high schools > 500 high school students Emphasis on hands on, problem-solving Concurrent enrollment credit Site of early college high school, Itineris Challenges!!! Necessity is the mother of all invention Challenges to the Growing Utah Life Science Industry Meeting workforce demands Existing companies New start-ups Responding to changing needs Laboratory technician Biomanufacturing technicians Creating a diverse workforce Multiple entry/exit points Dual training Defining Needs: Industry Survey Research and development Business management Regulatory and Biomanufacturing Entrepreneurship Challenges to the SLCC Biotech Program Required college internship Approx 65% high school students juniors Desire to create an entrepreneurial environment Challenging, real-world research opportunities Non-profit contract research organization Commonly used business model Requires minimal start-up Custom fit competencies Flexible Legitimate research Student Commitment One half to one year 5-7 hr per week Attendance at lab meetings Professionalism Enthusiasm! Benefits to Students Concurrent enrollment credit High school internship credit Research and on- the-job training Industry interaction National meeting attendance Company Commitment Serve on advisory board 100% consumables User fee Champion program Benefits to Companies Motivated internsfree! Research progress Tax deductions Equipped labs Experienced scientific staff Public relations boost State leverage Its [InnovaBio] really given us the ability to do research we didnt have the time to do Mike Mostert, CEO Lifespan Technologies State Economic Development Start-up support Incentive for start-ups to come to. Better trained workforce Attract mature companies Greater industry involvement Academic Programs that support economic development in the State of Utah: Salt Lake Community Colleges Biotechnology Program and University of Utahs TechVenture office. Utah Business Best of Business 2005 Synergistic Effects Homegrown Workforce Development Economic Growth High Value Services Industry Involvement Where are we so far? Six contracts 27 interns interns Diversifying intern pool Website launch Business documents Business model, business plan, client contract, evaluations, company policy manual Were helping students because they get the industry experience they might not otherwise have at this point in their education. With this program, students learn [both] what [the] industry needs and the business side of industries like biotechnology Mike Mostert, CEO, Lifespan Technologies I wasnt sure what I wanted to do after high school. But after the experience and exposure to the biotechnology world, Im focused on a career in forensic science. Theres no way I would have had this kind of exposure without this program. Kasey Thompson, InnovaBio intern from Riverton High School Turns out it was incredibly valuable to me in the long run, because its given me huge research opportunities up here at Utah State Albert Lund Former InnovaBio intern A student team engaged in collaborative problem solving Some real success stories!!! Allison Johnson- OmniLytics Nyki Sargent- Sorenson Genomics Andrew Ohlweiler- Sorenson Genomics Thor Rogers- HyClone Labs Loren Wardle- ARUP Labs Ranae Martin- Idaho Technologies Doug Knaphus- Dugway Proving Ground Jordan Gardner- Dugway Proving Ground Andy Mulcock- ARUP Labs A client company manufactures a novel kit for the rapid quantitation of a commonly used pharmaceutical. Existing technologies are costly and time consuming, so this new diagnostic method is revolutionary. A key protein component in the kit is highly prone to aggregation, making its production tedious. Interns are now investigating methods to scale up production of this component. 1) This will lower cost of production. 2) Remove potential supply bottlenecks. InnovaBio interns working as a team have conducted original research to solve this problem. The results of this research have led to the discovery of 3 previously unknown ways to overcome this problem. A real example of how InnovaBio has contributed to the local biotechnology industry Lessons We Have Learned! Sustainability Adjusted business model Expanded intern base Greater business support More focused marketing Administrative buy-in Is Replicable? YES!!!! Partners Box Hill Institute of TAFE, Melbourne, Australia Montana State University Future Directions Increase business development support Emphasis on business interns Begin corporate solicitation Service-based contracts Faculty internships Student stipends Integrate entrepreneurialism and innovation Add new division: biomanufacturing how to manual