The Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) joined InnovATEBIO at National Summit to Address Booming Bioscience Industry’s Talent Needs

Summit convened diverse stakeholders in a state ecosystem approach aimed at meeting industry’s urgent workforce gaps

June 30, 2023 | WASHINGTON–( BUSINESS WIRE )–Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) and InnovATEBIO convened a national Summit this week at the National Academies of Sciences in Washington, D.C., tasked with developing workforce strategies designed to sustain U.S. leadership in life sciences innovation. Both national organizations and their multi-state members helped to comprise over 250 attendees for the National Science Foundation- (NSF-)supported  Envisioning the Next Bioscience Workforce Summit , which brought together thought leaders from industry, academia, and government to forecast the continuing wave of discoveries and corresponding talent needs from the industry’s biopharmaceutical, biomedical device, bioprocessing, bioengineering, synthetic biology, and food production subsectors.

INNOVATEBIO + CSBI logo lockup

The first-of-its-kind assembly of diverse public and private stakeholders were brought together by InnovATEBIO, an NSF-funded National Advanced Technology Education Center that supports biotechnology education through its robust network of community colleges, and CSBI, a national coalition of bioscience trade associations and institutes who are committed to delivering industry-led workforce development programs. The collaboration between CSBI and InnovATEBIO has intensified over the last five years as part of an effort to address an outsized demand for talent by the life sciences industry and to open access to careers for a broad and diverse talent base.

Inspired by the innovation forecasts from leaders from the industry’s diverse segments, the Summit’s second day catalyzed state teams, comprised of stakeholders from industry, academia and workforce and economic development organizations, to collaborate on strategic solutions to address workforce gaps in their states.

“The bioscience industry’s workforce challenges are too urgent for any single stakeholder to try and address alone,” said Linnea Fletcher, Executive Director of the InnovATEBIO National Biotech Education Center. “We know that some states are doing an admirable job of bringing their community college and other academic partners together with industry, trade associations and governmental agencies to develop targeted programs that both meet and stay abreast of the industry’s rapidly evolving talent needs. We hope the Summit and its aftermath will provide more states with tools to develop similar strategic collaborations that will address gaps in their own states, a clear win-win for the industry and the highly trained students coming out of our ATE and other programs.”

“What I don’t think many recognize is how significantly many of these ATE and other academic programs can – and are – rapidly responding to urgent calls from bioscience employers for highly skilled technicians,” said Liisa Bozinovic, CSBI Chair and Executive Director of the Oregon Bioscience Association. “These programs are not only meeting companies’ immediate talent needs, but also offering a diverse set of students an accessible and rewarding pathway with multiple options for career and educational growth. That is what we sought to do with this Summit – to help more states develop the partnerships and funding to address gaps in their own regions.”

InnovATEBIO and its partners will continue to support the work of the state teams in the aftermath of the Summit to both broaden and deepen this important work.

For additional information on the Summit, click  here.

About the Coalition for State Biotech Institutes (CSBI)

The Coalition for State Biotech Institutes is dedicated to ensuring America’s leadership in bioscience innovation by delivering industry-led life sciences education and workforce development programs through a nationally coordinated effort. Programs are uniquely positioned for the life sciences industry to deliver, replicable in states across the U.S., extensible to other STEM industry sectors and are fully aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Learn more at  www.csbioinstitutes.org  where you can download our  2023 Life Science Workforce Trends Report.

About InnovATE BIO , the National Biotechnology Education Center:  InnovATE BIO  is supported by a five-year Advanced Technical Education (ATE) grant to advance biotechnology technician education nationally through cutting-edge professional training for instructors and share the best practices among community college programs, administrators, trade organizations, and industry. The Center seeks to develop a collaborative infrastructure that supports innovation and promptly addresses the needs of the biotechnology community. InnovATE BIO  aims to coordinate ATE-funded biotechnology projects to identify opportunities to generate partnerships and collaborations that will accelerate innovation in biotechnology education. In addition to these efforts, it seeks to monitor and address emerging biotechnology industry and technician workforce trends.

Follow Innov ATEBIO  on  FacebookLinkedIn , and  Twitter  at #InnovATEBIO to stay current on biotechnology education in community colleges. View posts at #EnvisioningBioscience for the Envisioning the Next Bioscience Workforce Summit.

Contacts

Maria Thacker, Georgia Bio
mthacker@gabio.org
404-920-2042

May 22, 2026
ALPHARETTA, Ga., May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Biomedical today announced the grand opening of its world-class manufacturing facility spanning more than 26,000 square feet in Alpharetta, Georgia. The opening marks the most advanced commercial-scale manufacturing site for Micron’s dissolvable vaccine and therapeutic technology in the world and positions the company for pivotal clinical trials that will accelerate the availability of needle-free vaccines and therapeutics that can be self-administered at home. “A significant body of evidence has shown that our dissolvable microarray technology is as effective as — or more effective than — conventionally injected medicines. Parents, patients, government officials, drug developers, public health leaders, and payers also prefer needle-free vaccines and therapeutics that are simpler and more cost-effective to transport and store,” said Steven Damon, CEO of Micron Biomedical . “Our novel technology requires equally innovative manufacturing equipment capable of scaling production, and this facility brings us one step closer to making that vision a reality.” Micron’s technology uses a dissolvable microarray “button” that is applied directly to the skin and, when pressed, painlessly delivers medications that dissolve in the uppermost layers of skin. The facility houses all of the equipment and manufacturing capabilities to design and produce Micron’s technology at scale including R&D facilities, wet labs, dry labs, storage and professional office spaces. Micron Biomedical’s grand opening ceremony was attended by business leaders, elected officials, investors, members of academia and other stakeholders. Representatives from the CDC were also in attendance as recently the CDC launched its first-ever clinical trial of a needle-free vaccine, evaluating a novel rotavirus vaccine, CC24, delivered via Micron Biomedical’s dissolvable microarray technology. The trial, at Emory University, builds on research, published in The Lancet, about self-administered seasonal influenza vaccine via Micron Biomedical’s dissolvable microarray technology, as well as studies across other disease indications, including measles and rubella . “Georgia is emerging as one of the country’s most important biotech manufacturing hubs, attracting talented scientists, engineers, business leaders and creating exciting economic and professional opportunities for our residents,” said Todd Jones, Georgia House Representative . “With its award winning first-in-the industry technology, Micron Biomedical is among the state’s leaders in simultaneously transforming the health of people around the world with never-before-possible access to medicine and vaccines - and in investing in the workforce of tomorrow with high paying jobs and growth opportunities." This year, published research reinforced consumer preference for microarray technology and Micron Biomedical was recognized as the number two most innovative company in its class by Fast Company for addressing global demand for simplified administration and distribution of vaccines and drugs. The scientific community support includes recent commentary in The Lancet which called Micron’s technology “game-changing in humanitarian settings.” Micron’s technology class has also been identified as the highest global priority innovation for overcoming immunization barriers in low- and middle-income countries by the Vaccine Innovation Prioritisation Strategy (VIPS) Alliance. “This milestone reflects the type of coordinated ecosystem growth outlined in Georgia Life Sciences’ recently released Roadmap for Georgia’s Life Sciences Sector — bringing together industry, startups, manufacturers, educators, investors, and policymakers to strengthen the state’s innovation and manufacturing capabilities,” said Maria Thacker Goethe, President and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences , who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. “With this cutting-edge facility, Micron is helping advance Georgia’s position as a national leader in biotechnology, medical technology, and life sciences innovation while reinforcing the state’s role as a scale-up manufacturing hub for the Southeast.” “Ribbon cuttings are always special and momentous events, but this one is especially satisfying because it points to an infrastructure for pivotal clinical trials of technologies being studied at Emory that have the potential to save lives and reduce disease burden by expanding coverage and access to critical medications,” said Christina Rostad MD, pediatric infectious disease associate professor at Emory University and lead investigator of the CD244 trial who provided commentary remotely. “Our team at Emory University is excited to be a part of the celebration and look forward to continuing to explore the potential of Micron Biomedical’s dissolvable microarray vaccine technology.“ About Micron Biomedical Micron Biomedical is the leader in dissolvable microarray-based, drug and vaccine administration technology with a growing pipeline of needle-free versions of previously injectable-only medicines. Micron Biomedical is a clinical-stage life science company on a rapid path to commercializing its proprietary dissolvable, microarray technology. Micron’s technology is designed to improve access and achieve better health outcomes globally through injection-free, painless, and simple and/or self-administration of drugs and vaccines, and by eliminating or reducing the need for cold chain transport and storage, enhancing safety and efficacy, and improving patient compliance. Micron partners with and/or receives funding from private and public entities including pharmaceutical and biotech companies, the Gates Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PATH and the Georgia Research Alliance. For more information visit www.micronbiomedical.com . Press Contact Shira Derasmo M: +1-917-280-2497 E: pr@micronbiomedical.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/31153de2-caed-4aa2-b291-ebeed2652b70 A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d855a883-fb26-47ce-9831-8ef1e0b93f43 
May 13, 2026
Georgia Life Sciences thanks Dr. Marty Makary for his service as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during a period of significant change across the nation’s health and regulatory agencies.
May 12, 2026
Georgia Life Sciences is pleased to announce Tim Opler as a featured keynote speaker at the 2026 Georgia Life Sciences Summit, taking place August 25-26 at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center in Atlanta. A leading voice in biotech investment banking, Tim Opler serves as Managing Director in Stifel’s Global Healthcare Group, where he advises innovative life sciences companies on financing, growth strategy, and market positioning across the healthcare landscape. Tim brings deep insight into the evolving biotech investment environment, emerging industry trends, and the factors shaping the future of life sciences innovation and commercialization. Join us for this timely discussion with one of the industry’s most respected financial leaders as we explore the opportunities and challenges defining the next era of life sciences growth . 
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