BioHub Maryland, powered by MTC: From Launch to Impact

The past year presented new challenges across the biopharmaceutical landscape. Yet amid this complexity, BioHub Maryland, powered by Maryland Tech Council, achieved critical milestones in our mission to accelerate Maryland life sciences industry by strengthening its biopharma talent pipeline.

We believe talent and training lay at the heart of biopharma innovation and patient impact. It is with this spirit of pride and optimism that we share with you our key highlights from the past year.

Training the Next Generation of Biopharma Talent

Our flagship BioHub Maryland Training and Education Center at Montgomery County has been a cornerstone of our success. Since its opening in October, over 271 trainees have completed our courses. Through our exclusive partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), they participated in lecture-based learning and hands-on laboratory experience, equipping graduates with a distinct competitive edge in the biopharmaceutical industry.

To inspire the next generation of life sciences professionals, Alexandria Real Estate Equities provided funding for our NextGen Life Sciences Scholarship for recent Maryland high school graduates pursuing a career in the life sciences. The scholarship supported training for students to experience weeks of lectures and hands-on training at the BioHub Maryland facility to prepare them for a life sciences career. Training provided an introductory overview of a variety of life sciences topics to create a foundation of knowledge and ended with a tour at member company, Syngene International, to see life sciences concepts in an industry setting. BioHub Maryland is deeply appreciative of this support and continued partnership.

Customized Training for Industry

One of BioHub Maryland’s advantages is our ability to offer highly customized training courses to industry. In the past year, we have worked with many companies to tailor courses to meet the unique needs of their workforces. We are excited to expand this offering to industry partners in the coming year. If your company is interested in customized training sessions, please let me know. 

Founding Partners Sharing Our Vision

BioHub Maryland would like to thank Governor Moore, Montgomery County, TrilliumBIO, WorkSource Montgomery, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, Maryland Department of Commerce, and AstraZeneca for their partnership and shared vision.

Community Partnerships With Impact

We were proud to partner with Bowie State University, Maryland’s first Historically Black University, to provide summer training to 24 students exploring biopharma careers. We partnered with WorkSource Montgomery to provide 30 residents—and counting—new skills and exposure to career opportunities in biopharmaceuticals. WorkSource Montgomery assists these trainees in finding employment following training, and many trainees have been successful in starting life sciences careers at local companies. BioHub Maryland also received an EARN grant through the Maryland Department of Labor. This EARN grant allowed us to train multiple displaced federal workers through our Navigating Biopharma Operations course, 80% of which received new employment following training. Trainees were hired at companies such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, ATCC, and more. The EARN grant additionally supported the upskilling of local life sciences employees to enhance their skillsets and provide continuing education to improve their day-to-day tasks.

BioHub Maryland Strengthens Economic Development

BioHub Maryland’s differentiator is that it is a connective asset in the state’s life sciences ecosystem. When a company seeks to expand or relocate in Maryland, they first want to know that the state can quickly provide skills-ready talent to meet demand. BioHub Maryland provides this solution, and is the only workforce training solution designed to provide tailored training for employers’ custom needs. While Maryland boasts an unparalleled density of federal assets like the NIH and FDA, BioHub Maryland transforms these advantages into an economic asset. By providing a centralized platform for workforce development, BioHub Maryland ensures that the state’s life sciences companies—from high-growth startups to global leaders like AstraZeneca have the “bench strength” required to sustain multi-billion dollar capital investments and rapid R&D expansions.

Conference Exhibits and Trainee Networking

We actively engaged potential trainees in the community by exhibiting at the Montgomery College Bioscience Education Center Networking and Job Fair for displaced federal workers, the Watkins Mill High School Career Fair, MD STEM Festival, and the NIIMBL Talent Partnership. We also secured meeting space for Maryland Tech Council members at JP Morgan Healthcare Week in San Francisco.

BioHub Maryland and the Maryland Tech Council had a prominent presence at the BIO International Convention in Boston, partnering with 8+ member companies to showcase Maryland. Within our exhibit, we hosted panels moderated by our CEO, Kelly Schulz, and Chairman Brad Stewart with our global partners, CASTL and NIBRT, local partners, TrilliumBIO and Thermo Fisher Scientific, and company presentations from Maryland companies. We provided complimentary passes to the BIO International Convention for 10 displaced federal workers. An attendee who received a complimentary pass shared the below feedback:

“I want to express my profound gratitude for the opportunity to attend the BIO conference this week. The entire Maryland contingent was exceptionally welcoming, and I feel very encouraged by the networking and the job leads I found at this conference – not just for me, but for my coworkers affected by the layoffs. Attending this conference also introduced me to additional local additional support networks within my area which I have no doubt will help my long-term professional development.”

Gaining National Recognition

BioHub Maryland’s reputation as a talent accelerator is growing beyond Maryland’s borders. Companies from seven states, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania, toured our training facilities, met with our training staff, and learned more about how our customized curricula can help them reskill their workforces.  

Generous Support from Industry Champions

Over a dozen biopharmaceutical industry leaders gifted critical equipment to the BioHub Maryland Training and Education Center. Those companies are AstraZeneca, Pharmadule Morimatsu, BaneBio, Amgen, Maxcyte, IDT Biologika, Pureflow, RAPA Therapeutics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, ECOLAB, Advanced BioScience Laboratories, and Fisher Scientific. We are grateful to each company for stepping forward with these gifts. If your company is interested in gifting to BioHub Maryland, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Workforce Coalition

Behind the scenes, BioHub Maryland’s Workforce Coalition has been an unwavering support during our first full year of operations. Members of the coalition provide feedback on training offerings, insight on industry trends, guest lectures during training sessions, and more. We are so grateful to members including AstraZeneca, Medcura, Inc, TrilliumBIO, Advanced Bioscience Laboratories, Quality Biological, Kite Pharma, Charles River Labs, Thermo Fisher Scientific, MacroGenics, VaLogic Bio, and Hansoh Bio. These highlights represent just the beginning of the results we will achieve together. Your partnership is the engine of our success, and we are more optimistic than ever about the future of Maryland’s biopharmaceutical industry. We are excited to support the life sciences companies already part of our community, and those choosing Maryland as their home. We look forward to welcoming Nature Cell, Syngene International, and Samsung Biologics to our robust life sciences ecosystem, and being a resource for their workforce needs, and a great year ahead.