Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing Opens Near Philadelphia, PA

With the mission of providing state-of-the-art education and training in the fast-emerging field of biopharmaceutical processing, the Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing (JIB) formally opened its doors on May 31, 2019 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours, and symposium, JIB announced in a June 4, 2019 press release. Jefferson established the North American workforce training institute in collaboration with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), a center for training and research in biopharmaceutical manufacturing based in Ireland. JIB will use the GE Healthcare FlexFactory Platform to produce biopharmaceuticals.

According to the press release, JIB offers a range of training programs to advance the skills and knowledge of scientists, engineers, and technicians who work in process development and biomanufacturing of biopharmaceuticals and biologics. Through the 25,000-ft² flexible facility at Spring House Innovation Park in Lower Gwynedd, PA, JIB provides tactile training by combining interactive presentations, workshops, and hands-on laboratory and pilot-scale experience. In addition to open enrollment courses, JIB also offers customized training to meet industry needs with specialized courses developed with companies and delivered either at JIB or the company site. JIB will train approximately 2500 bioprocessing professionals annually, with the first training session in July 2019, the organization said in the release.

“Biomanufacturing is going through an unprecedented period of innovation in new products and growth in legacy therapeutics that promise many new jobs over the next decade and beyond,” JIB executive director Parviz Shamlou said in a press release. “Our feedback from industry is that many new entrants to the workforce do not have the right skills and knowledge and require additional training to be productive to expected levels. Even when companies are able to develop internal training programs for their employees, oftentimes, this is not what they consider the best use of their resources. JIB has responded positively, proactively and creatively to address these issues by investing in infrastructure, people, and resources to create new training and education programs relevant to the needs of industry.”

“From K-12 STEM enrichment activities, to enhancing community college curricula and associate degree programs, to our own Jefferson undergraduate and graduate degree programs, to industry certificates and workshops for training and retraining of practicing professionals, JIB is laser-focused on the entire education, training, and workforce development continuum,” said Ron Kander, dean of Jefferson’s Kanbar College of Design Engineering and Commerce, in the press release.

Source: Jefferson