BioConnects New England (BCNE) and Roxbury Community College (RCC) are excited to announce a partnership to create a robust biomanufacturing industry cluster in the New England region.
With this partnership, BioConnects New England and Roxbury Community College aim to promote the growth and sustainability of the life sciences industry in New England through academic excellence and strategic programming. Additionally, BioConnects New England and RCC agree to foster research and development collaboration on a range of projects. Roxbury Community College is also committed to attending the annual coalition meeting, hosting partners, and assisting with outreach to local communities.
“Partnerships with community colleges are an important piece toward achieving the goals we’ve set out for our coalition,” said Jared Auclair, Ph.D., an associate dean at Northeastern University and director of their Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab and co-lead of BioConnects New England. “We’re excited to work with Roxbury Community College and collaborate on creating a talent pipeline in support of biomanufacturing jobs.”
“BioConnects New England imagines an important and exciting future for our students,” said Jeff Van Dreason, dean of instruction at Roxbury Community College. “We are proud to contribute to these efforts and look forward to providing even more opportunities for them.”
Through its grant challenge sponsored by the Economic Development Administration, BioConnects New England is leveraging its resources in the region to create a robust biomanufacturing industry. Massachusetts-based Northeastern University leads the coalition, which includes The Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory at Northeastern University, The Roux Institute at Northeastern University in Portland, Maine, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, -the I-195 Design & Innovation District in Providence, Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island, and FocusMaine. The coalition will lead K-12 education and engagement activities, jumpstart prototyping and incubation facilities throughout the region, and invest in accessible start-up entrepreneurship programming.
ABOUT BIOCONNECTS NEW ENGLAND
BioConnects New England is a multi-state coalition and finalist of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge—a $1 billion program sponsored by the Economic Development Administration. Through this initiative, BioConnects New England will create a biomanufacturing cluster in the region of Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island that have been historically excluded from the biotechnology industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors in New England with national importance. This coalition will connect hubs throughout New England to support existing—and establish new—biomanufacturing infrastructure as a pathway to increase employment and educational opportunities for underserved regions and populations.
ABOUT ROXBURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Founded in 1973, Roxbury Community College (RCC) is a comprehensive, multicultural, urban, student-centered, open-access community college. RCC offers associates degree and certificate programs, online courses, corporate and community education programs, and lifelong learning programs. RCC’s 16-acre campus includes five buildings housing state-of-the-art STEM labs, the Library and the Learning Center, the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, a 450+ seat theater, music and art studios, and a new Health Sciences suite with a full mock hospital. For more information on Roxbury Community College, visit www.rcc.mass.edu.
