Center: InnovATEBIO The National Biotechnology Education Center

In September 2022, President Biden signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14081 on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. The Order directs the expansion of training and education opportunities for all Americans in biotechnology and biomanufacturing with the goal of maintaining U.S. leadership in the bioeconomy.

The InnovATE BIO National Biotechnology Center will support this Executive Order with a focus on the education of the skilled technical workforce (STW) needed by industry. The Center will conduct webinars and convenings, develop models for scalable and sustainable faculty professional development, build the next generation of leaders, and initiate collaborations that connect high schools, 2-year community and technical colleges, and 4-year educational institutions with industry and policy advocates to develop the needed STW to create and produce biotechnology-based solutions that address society's greatest challenges.

The three goals of the Center are: 1) sustain, grow, and empower the community of biotechnology educators; 2) support community and technical college faculty in educating the skilled biotechnology workforce; and 3) enable community and technical colleges and state partnerships to shape the future of biotechnology workforce education. Multiple educational institutions will be involved in center activities.

The Center currently networks and collaborates with 117 two-year institutions, 10 four-year colleges or universities, and 107 high school affiliates with more programs expected to be added during the next few years. Objectives and activities will support each of the goals and evaluative activities will provide both formative and summative assessment reports to guide the Center in supporting the education of the STW at educational institutions across the U.S.

This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.