Bio-1 is a consortium of partners founded in 2007 designed to identify and promote bioscience in the Central New Jersey area. It is the result of a $5 million grant made available by the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program.
Bio-1’s goal is to make Central New Jersey (CNJ) the next “hot spot” for the global bioscience industry, by creating high-quality, high-paying jobs and a skilled workforce. The five-county BIO-1 partnership is named for the Route 1 corridor from Rutgers to Princeton, around which most of CNJ’s biotech firms are clustered. The CNJ region, comprising Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset counties, has received $5 million, available under the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program from the United States Department of Labor (USDOL). The WIRED grant will be used to transform the rich array of existing bioscience education and training and economic development initiatives into an into a world class bioscience talent development system.
The partnership has its roots in an initiative created by Governor Jon Corzine as part of his statewide economic strategy. This is the third WIRED investment in New Jersey, making it “the most WIRED state” in the U.S.
In collaboration with representatives of all key players in the biosciences in CNJ, the Bio-1 initiative will focus on six key strategies:
Excite young people about the bio-sciences, especially focusing on underrepresented groups.
Create a consortium of biotechnology educators from the high school through university levels that will facilitate smooth career pathways through articulation agreements, mentoring and professional development.
Transform graduate education with the development of professional science master's degrees that integrate business and science, and interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in biotech areas.
Increase bioscience workforce development with education and training opportunities. A “flak jackets to lab coats” initiative, for example, will 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.
Facilitate globally competitive “biobusinesses” by encouraging collaboration between business and education, supporting bioscience start-ups and leveraging existing global networks.
BioNJ, Inc. (formerly Biotechnology Council of NJ, representing over 300 Member companies)
HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (representing 34 pharmaceutical and medical device companies)
Johnson & Johnson
Celgene
PTC Therapeutics
Elusys Therapeutics
Vicus
Chromocell
Genmab
Merck
Sanofi-Aventis
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Middlesex County WIB
Monmouth County WIB
Greater Raritan Valley WIB (Somerset and Hunterdon counties)
Mercer County WIB
Colleges and universities
Rutgers University
Princeton University
Monmouth University
Rider University
The College of New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS)
Consortium of County Colleges including:
Raritan Valley Community College
Brookdale Community College
Middlesex County College
Mercer County Community College
Cancer Institute of NJ
Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM)
Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment
Waksman Institute of Microbiology
Biotechnology High School (Monmouth County)
Waksman Scholars – 20+ high schools
Rider University partner high schools
Government and non-profit organizations
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
New Brunswick Innovation Zone
Edison Venture Fund
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
New Jersey Department of Education
State Employment and Training Commission
New Jersey Commission on Higher Education
New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology
Governor’s Life Science Workforce Advisory Council
The Biotechnology Institute
