UF molds work force for state's burgeoning biotechnology industry

May 20, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s growing biotechnology industry is demanding an increasingly specialized work force, and the University of Florida is seeking to meet that need with a variety of programs for both entry-level and advanced workers.

Newly attracted heavy-hitting research institutes such as Scripps Florida, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research are expected to spin off new biotechnology companies and, in turn, generate tens of thousands of new jobs in the next decade.

“The momentum we’ve seen in bringing in and growing biotech organizations across the state means that we have a growing demand for skilled workers,” said C. Russell Allen, president and chief executive officer of BioFlorida, the statewide trade association for the bioscience industry.

UF is responding to the demand with several unique programs:

• The Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology, or CERHB, and the Center for Precollegiate Education and Training are collaborating on a $599,997 grant from the National Science Foundation to support the Florida Partnership for Industrial Biotechnology Career Development and Training. Other collaborators include the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, the School Board of Alachua County, North Marion High School and Santa Fe Community College.

The goal is to implement broad-spectrum training that covers all aspects of industrial biotechnology, from bench skills such as DNA research, genetic analysis and drug manufacturing, to board room skills like how to work with the Food and Drug Administration and how to get the drugs approved, said Richard Snyder, CERHB director. “It’s really meant to establish a pipeline of students who are interested in the translational science and drug development careers and education possibilities as they move up from high school and through college,” Snyder said.

The Florida Partnership for Industrial Biotechnology Training has developed a new, three-year biotechnology curriculum for high school students.

“One of our goals is to roll this out to as many school districts as we can across the state,” Snyder said. “In fall of 2008, we will add another four school districts, maybe five, who have seen what we’ve done in Alachua and Marion counties and are very interested in establishing the biotechnology curriculum in their own schools.”

An articulation agreement was also reached between the community college system and the high schools that enables high school students to receive college credit for courses they complete.

• CERHB also operates the Employ Florida BANNER Center for Biotechnology, which aims to provide the Florida biotech industry with the skilled work force it needs by offering specialized training classes for current and future workers. The center was established with an initial $500,000 grant from Workforce Florida Inc., plus an additional $200,000 of WFI funding.

“We’re holding needs assessments and focus groups every quarter to really gauge the needs of industry and respond by designing curricula that meet those needs,” Snyder said.

Courses are taught at the CERHB education facility in Alachua, via distance learning, at client locations, and at collaborating institutions. CERHB partners include UF CPET, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Indian River Community College, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Palm Beach Community College and Santa Fe Community College.

• The Center for Precollegiate Education and Training, or CPET, offers other programs designed to interest young people in science, from hands-on research programs for high school students offered on the UF campus to teacher-enrichment programs that provide teachers with tools and curriculum that they can take into the classroom.

More than 300 faculty researchers across campus are partners with CPET in its programs, which include the Student Science Training Program, Special Explorations for Teachers and Students, and Summer Science Institute.

• Another CPET program is the Interdisciplinary Center for Ongoing Research/Education, which is supported by a $675,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Other support for CPET has come from organizations like BioFlorida, which has provided funds for teachers to attend summer programs.

Research shows that for each new biotech job created in the United States, 5.7 additional jobs are generated, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.