NIIMBL Awards over $200k to Expand eXperience Program

The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) has awarded over $200k in funding to launch the 2023 NIIMBL eXperience program in three distinct locations across the United States. Funding recipients include Albany College (ACPHS) in New York, BioKansas in the Kansas/Missouri Region, and Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey.

In August 2022, NIIMBL issued a Request for Applications seeking proposals to scale the NIIMBL eXperience program to multiple areas of the country. From the submitted proposals, three organizations were selected to host the 2023 NIIMBL eXperience program in their respective states/regions. The NIIMBL eXperience program is an all-expenses paid biopharmaceutical manufacturing immersion program for university and community college students who have completed their first or second year of study. The program is specifically for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students as it strives to diversify the school-to-industry pipeline for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

“Over the past few years, there has been growing interest in the NIIMBL eXperience program. To address the increased demand, NIIMBL set out to expand the program both in geography and in scale,” said John Balchunas, NIIMBL workforce development director. “In piloting this new model, we will triple the yearly number of participants who gain an understanding of biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry careers through the eXperience program. This will benefit the students and will help address hiring concerns facing the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry,” adds Balchunas.

Participating students will visit leading biopharma companies, tour manufacturing facilities, and receive hands-on introductions to state-of-the-art equipment. They also will become familiar with the types of organizations in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem and the role they play in bringing life-saving treatments to patients.

Recent 2022 NIIMBL eXperience participant, John Josiah of Johnson C. Smith University says, "The biomanufacturing and biopharmaceutical industries have had an immense impact on our lives, and I developed a renewed sense of appreciation for the many moving parts that make up this gigantic space alongside the heroes making it all possible."

“Although this is a pilot, we are optimistic about the impact the expansion model will have on the future of the NIIMBL eXperience program and for the students who pursue a carrier in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing field,” shared Balchunas.

The NIIMBL eXperience @ACPHS will run from June 4-10, @RaritanValleyCC from June 10-16, and @BioKansas from July 31-August 5, 2023. Applications for all three locations are now open and will close on January 20, 2023.  

The NIIMBL eXperience Program launched in the summer of 2019 and has offered a unique glimpse into the biopharmaceutical industry to approximately 40 students. To learn more about the NIIMBL eXperience, visit NIIMBL.org

*All funding is subject to project agreement negotiations. 

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