Federal Grant Supports Education, Training Initiatives for Bioscience Industry Corridor in New Jersey; Rutgers Has Important Role in Efforts to Develop Highly Skilled Workforce

New Brunswick, N.J. A $5.1 million federal investment in New Jerseys economic growth strategy will fill a key piece of the states bioscience jigsaw puzzle, bringing together an array of industry, government and education partners, including Rutgers, for coordinated workforce development in Central New Jerseys bioscience corridor.

The N.J. Department of Labor announced last week that the state would receive the funding over three years from the U.S. Department of Labors Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program. The grants are intended to serve as catalysts for transforming the economies of competitively selected regions of the country primarily through the development of human talent to support key industries. Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) coordinated the grant writing efforts on behalf of the state in collaboration with 14 units across Rutgers and other regional partners.

The diverse Bio-1 partnership, named for the Route 1 corridor around which many of the regions bioscience firms are clustered, has its roots in an initiative created by Gov. Jon Corzine as part of his statewide economic strategy. The partnerships objective is to create high-quality, high-paying jobs and grow the regions bioscience industry.

Geographically and institutionally, Rutgers is well positioned to support and advance Gov. Corzines economic initiatives in the bioscience realm, said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. He noted the technical, educational and scholarly resources Rutgers brings to the partnership. As a research university, we are prepared to play a key role in planning for and developing the highly skilled workforce the state needs to compete internationally in this critical industry.

With the federal grant for the central region of the state comprised of Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon counties New Jersey becomes the most WIRED state in the United States. Bio-1 joins earlier WIRED winners in Northern New Jersey and the Delaware Valley Innovation Network, which includes the Southern New Jersey counties near Philadelphia.

The Bio-1 partner organizations include biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device firms and their industry associations; county Workforce Investment Boards; research universities and other higher education institutions; research institutes; K-12 schools; and government and nonprofit entities.

David Finegold, dean of SMLR, and lead author of the WIRED proposal, explained the key role that the governors strategy played in enabling New Jersey to secure the grant. Finegold said that Corzine launched the Innovation Partnership Institute initiative last fall to bring together employers and education and training providers from across the state to begin to create a workforce development system tailored to the needs of three key growth sectors in the state: biopharma, finance and information technology.

It was the relationships and ideas generated through the IPI process that enabled us to put together the successful WIRED grant, Finegold said.

The proposal for creating a high-skilled bioscience ecosystem in Central New Jersey comprises six over-arching elements:

Begin developing qualified workers in the education system as early as K-8 with integrated science experiences, continuing through high school with career development programs and research opportunities

Create a consortium of biotechnology educators in the K-12 through university levels that would facilitate smooth career pathways along the education continuum through articulation agreements, mentoring and professional development

Transform graduate education with the development of professional science masters degrees that integrate business and science, and interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in biotech areas, such as life sciences and engineering

Increase bioscience workforce development with education and training opportunities. A flak jackets to lab coats initiative, for example, would focus on training and job placement in the bioscience industry for returning veterans

Enhance linkages between education and industry through internships, cooperative education and mentoring, and

Facilitate globally competitive biobusinesses through new and existing initiatives that encourage collaboration between business and education, support bioscience start-ups and leverage existing global networks.

Bio-1 Partnership

Business and Industry Partners:

Biotechnology Council of New Jersey, Inc. (representing 180 member companies

HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (representing 22 pharmaceutical and medical device companies)

Individual companies: Johnson & Johnson, Celgene, PTC Therapeutics, Elusys, Vicus, Chromocell, Genmab, Merck

WIB/Workforce Partners:

Middlesex County WIB

Monmouth County WIB

Greater Raritan Valley WIB (Somerset and Hunterdon counties)

Mercer County WIB

Higher Education Partners:

Rutgers University, including

Engineering Research Center - Structured Organic Composites

Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

RU Graduate School

UMDNJ Graduate School of Medical Science

Center for Women and Work

School of Management and Labor Relations

School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (formerly Cook College)

Division of Life Sciences

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Business School Newark/New Brunswick

Graduate School of Education

Office for Research and Science Policy

RU Cell & DNA Repository

New Jersey Center for Biomaterials

Princeton University

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS)

Monmouth University

Rider University

The College of New Jersey

Consortium of County Colleges

Raritan Valley Community College

Brookdale Community College

Middlesex Community College

Mercer County College

Research Institutes:

Cancer Institute of NJ

Stem Cell Institute

CABM Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine

Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment

Waksman Institute

K-12 Partners:

Over 40 CNJ high schools and middle schools

Biotechnology High School (NB, Monmouth County)

Waksman Scholars 20+ high schools

Rider University partner high schools

Government and Non-Profit Partners:

NJ Economic Development Authority

New Brunswick Innovation Zone

Edison Venture Fund

NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development

NJ Department of Education

State Employment and Training Council

NJ Commission on Higher Education

NJ Commission on Science and Technology

Governors Life Science Workforce Advisory Council

The Biotechnology Institute

Contact: Sandra Lanman
732-932-7084, ext. 621
E-mail: slanman@ur.rutgers.edu